Shots fired! I had a weird encounter with police last night.

I live in a low crime area, but we've recently had a bit of a rise in incidents from juvenile gang members who started recently using the neighborhood as a shortcut.

So I'm up late last night, middle of the night, when I hear gunfire outside, rather close by. Not a typical happening around here, despite the recent increase in crime rates. My windows were open so they were easy to hear and locate the direction they came from. Unmistakably gunshots, not a backfire, fireworks, or anything like that. I look out the window and see lights starting to turn on in some of the other houses in the area so I'm not the only one who heard them.

I decided to go check my back yard and all the doors and windows on the house, thinking that if I was quick about it I could be done and back inside before cops show up to check things out. I didn't want to waste their time having to check out the wrong person if they see me shining a flashlight around my windows, when they could otherwise be spending their time looking for the real suspect(s).

I'm in my pajamas so I grab a bag to have a place to carry my keys (I'm not leaving the door unlocked while I do this) and have a place to put my flashlight if I need my hands free. I also want a place to carry my gun so it's available, but not visible so I don't alarm a neighbor by brandishing right after the sound of gunfire. It's a single strap MOLLE bag and I'm wearing it across my front like a bandoleer (this is relevant later).

Just as I'm finishing checking my yard and house I see a police spotlight shining around on the homes across the street. I wasn't quick enough, and WOW, they responded quickly. So I hang the light from a lanyard on the bag.

At this point the cop car rounds a corner and I become visible to them and they train the light on me. I wave to them as I walk down my driveway to stand right under a street light. My hands are down at my sides, a couple inches away from my body so they can clearly see they're empty. Cops get out of the car, I cheerfully say "evenin' officers" and tell them I heard some gunfire and was just checking out the exterior of my house as I gestured behind me to show where I lived.

Now, while I had no gun visible, I'm a guy in pajamas, barefoot, carrying a MOLLE gear bag across my front. It doesn't take a genius to realize I probably have a gun in there. But they don't mention anything about it, and just ask me for any further details about what I saw or heard.

After finishing that brief exchange I thanked them for checking the area and went back inside my house.

To listen to the press these days, you'd think I'd have been jacked up by the cops, held at gunpoint (or worse), but they didn't draw down on me, didn't cuff me and weren't rude to me. Oddly enough, they didn't even shoot me.

Weird, right?

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Shots fired! I had a weird encounter with police last night.