Have you ever heard what you thought were gunshots or fireworks, and them hemmed and hawed about whether or not you should call police to report it?
You’ve probably seen the posts on the Ring Neighbors App and Nextdoor from neighbors asking other neighbors if they also heard shots fired. That’s okay—-the more information the better. But the best thing to do first is call 911 and let the dispatchers send police to investigate in case anyone is hurt.
Talk to any police officer and they will tell you that they’d rather be sent to a nothing call than find out that someone was critically injured and that they and other first responders were not dispatched in time to help.
Several years ago a man was shot on the west side of Madison. Many hours later someone saw the person lying outside and called 911. Unfortunately by then it was too late. When officers canvassed the neighborhood, they learned that several people had heard the gunshots, but none of them had called 911.
This morning (2/2/23) multiple callers on the north side reported hearing many shots fired. Thankfully some of them did call the police who discovered one injured adult who had been hit by glass when a bullet entered an apartment. Two other adults and a child were also inside at the time of the incident.
Madison Police also found an unoccupied vehicle with 8 bullet holes in it and spent shell casings on Monterey Drive.
When in doubt about gunshots or fireworks, it’s always best to err on the side of caution and call 911.