Called the cops on the neighbor

[Pvt. Cowboy]

My wife's cousin in Ohio got a .30 cal rifle slug through the front fender of her Dodge Durango that went down through two folds of sheet metal, the wheel-well liner (I think it was plastic) and into the tire tread. I examined the hole and determined that the angle was very shallow. 15 degrees from vertical, or so. St. Patrick's Day celebration, if you can believe that.

I won't get into Newtonian physics, Mythbusters, pennies dropped from the Empire State Building, or whether it was smart to let your hayseed drunk neighbor know you called the cops on them, but I just add this little story about my wife's cousin's Durango because I saw it firsthand.

[ivanimal]

Wait - how could they prove that? Were they witness to it? Or was he in custody because he has a warrant on his arrest or he was doing something else when they arrived - or he gave them a hard time, or had shotgun in hand? By the time they got there, I would bet he was back in the house and nursing a beer or scarfing down a porterhouse off the grill. Or was he outside when they arrived with shotgun in hand AND they saw/heard him do it. If not, then yes, you would be involved.

Something is not all adding up - I can't imagine he would be in police custody just on your call alone, unless he fired in the air and they were witness to it, or you stand as a witness.

.

Or we could have an admission of guilt, he does not sound like a really smart person to begin with and he could have admitted it to the police.

Also to address the snitch comment there is a trend in Oakland to keep killing people because no one will snitch on the drug lord killers. This does not seem like a good solution to me. Perhaps you should move there to be closer to like minded people.

[bigmike82]

"This does not seem like a good solution to me."

Someone shooting a shotty into the air is now equal to a murdering drug lord?

Ouch.

[99medic]

Let me paint a better picture for everybody. Rough neighborhood in SD, full of families. 4th of July everybody can presume that they have been drinking.
Person shooting a shotgun in the air. Now with that in mind, do you think it's smart to go to that person who you do not know and educating him about the legalities and dangers of shooting in the air.

Before I called the PD I thought about going over there. But, I thought that it would be safer to call the PD instead of talking to the guy. Alcohol consumption and firearms DO NOT MIX.

[bcrich]

99medic, I hope your neighbors are not gangsta fools who are gonna harrass you. Like 5150marcelo said "you might be considered a snitch" I think he meant by your neighbors...but blasting into the air? what if it were slugs and hit your kids or someone else. Too damn dangerous, you did the right thing. Deffinetly not cool to do in the hood.

[Rumpled]

What the..?

The terminal velocity of a human being is ~160 mph, but the record speed dive is around 360 mph. People aren't very aerodynamic. Arrows are up around 450mph. The terminal velocity of a V2 rocket from WW2 was about 3728 mph (the V2 -- like most rockets -- is purely ballistic on the downward flight path). Terminal velocity is a function of drag coefficient.

-Jason

As I remember from my skydiving days, a human in a stable spread is about 120 mph for terminal velocity.
The Air Force had some guy dive off a weather balloon at ~100,000 feet and 701 MPH!!!
Terminal velocity depends upon mass and surface area.
Has anyone ever seen a feather fall at 160 MPH??

[99medic]

99medic, I hope your neighbors are not gangsta fools who are gonna harrass you. Like 5150marcelo said "you might be considered a snitch" I think he meant by your neighbors...but blasting into the air? what if it were slugs and hit your kids or someone else. Too damn dangerous, you did the right thing. Deffinetly not cool to do in the hood.

The family does not look like the gangsta type. But, you can bet that I will be OC until this blows over.

[USN CHIEF]

Do you live in Barrio Logan?

[ivanimal]

"This does not seem like a good solution to me."

Someone shooting a shotty into the air is now equal to a murdering drug lord?

Ouch.

I was addressing the snitch aspect not the criminal aspect, was I wrong in my analogy?

[99medic]

Do you live in Barrio Logan?

Normal Heights, AKA. Abnormal Heights.

[USN CHIEF]

Normal Heights, AKA. Abnormal Heights.

Yeah, that almost equals to Barrio Logan. MOVE, come over to Otay Ranch my brother

[bigmike82]

I just think they're two totally seperate things, that's all.

Certainly, witnessing someone getting murdered is unquestionably correct. But doing so for something like this, I think, is borderline. Comparing the two is misleading.

Navy Chief summed it up the best, I think. I wouldn't have either, but it's his call.

[99medic]

Yeah, that almost equals to Barrio Logan. MOVE, come over to Otay Ranch my brother

I originally bought my condo as a investment a year ago. I am just waiting til the housing market to get better and use the equity to get something better.

[sorensen440]

you did the right thing the next shot could have came through your window alcohol and guns dont mix

[Synergy]

I live in a safe middle class neighborhood. As one who has had the cops show up at my residence,many times, since my neighbors don't want to be neighborly and come talk to me about my stereo being too loud, bike too loud, truck too loud, or the occasional firework. It really chaps my hide when someone calls 911 instead of coming and asking me nicely. I would oblige and change whatever was bothering them.

I work in the ghetto and know the mentality add a party with alcohol and it gets worse. I'm a big guy and can be intimidating, I wouldn't waste my time talking safety with drunk idiots shooting guns. I doubt I would have called the cops.

Dont fear retribution, you have stood your ground, made a decision. Now you are in for the full ride. If it goes to trial you better show up. If not you should have never called 911 in the first place.