Yep, the AirSoft thing did die a death - but I'm hoping to have a game soon; there's a club in Auckland, and they play primarily outdoors, and the local Police know them & won't send AOS (SWAT for Americans) knocking

W.r.t. the crime in question - fair enough, it might turn out to be manslaughter rather than murder. Perhaps my headline should have read "neighbours ignore blood-curdling scream and sounds of gunfire"

The neighbours’ reaction is not as bad as it first sounds if you try to piece together what happened while ignoring the emotive slant to the article:

First of all, loud domestic disputes sound like they are fairly common in the area – “She went back to sleep because hearing raised voices on the street on a Saturday night was not unusual.”

There appear to have at least one man and one woman involved by witness account of the voices heard.

The woman’s “blood-curdling” screams appear to be part of an argument rather than the scream of terror that the phrase “blood-curdling” often implies. Indeed the body found was male, so chances are she was the one firing the weapon.

The weapon involved sounded like “a BB gun or air rifle”. These weapons are designed to be non-lethal (to humans anyway). Even you Duncan, have suggested playing a game involving shooting each other with airsoft pistols at least once (the reason this didn’t happen was the possibility of collateral damage). The weapon turned out to be a paintball gun, a weapon I would expect to be less lethal than a BB gun or air rifle due to the fact it is designed to be fired at a human target.

I will admit that the neighbours did the wrong thing by turning over and going back to sleep - the use of ANY (physical) weapon in a heated argument is grounds for calling the police (psychological ones are debatable) – but this appears to be a case of accidental manslaughter rather than premeditated murder.

I once saw a strange guy running after a scared looking woman who had walked quickly into a back alley. Me and a couple of mates armed ourselves and followed them in expecting to break up a rape. Instead it was some sort of twisted sex game and we interrupted the couple in flagrante. The couple were pretty annoyed with us too, called us perverts for staring at them. I mean they are naked, in a public-back alley - WTF did they expect?

Would I act the same way if it happened all over again? Yes! The world isn't full of "Jerry Springer guests." And if I can investigate without walking into trouble then I would.

All these guys in NZ had to do was call 111 and say that they heard gun-fire and screaming coming from the neighbours place. That ~should~ have brought the cavalry to do the investigating for them.
So, like Duncan I'm disgusted that they didn't even lift a handset, dial three numbers and speak for 30 seconds.

So in your context it would be apropriate. In mine I never know if it's just rough-housing, a heated arguement, or someone showing off(ie shooting into the air or fireworks) .

And the stop snitching movement isn't peculiar to Philadelphia, we even have it in Indy.

I am so glad I'm moving/no longer working at HP.

---Landon

It all basically comes back to fight or flight.

Context: I have never heard a gunshot outside of sports shooting events (hunting, target shooting, plinking). I don't personally know anyone who has, while they've been living in New Zealand.

I've heard a few blood-curdling screams, but where I live, they're rare enough to warrant investigation, and when coupled with gunshots ....

Duncan, it's the same mentality that created the "stop snitching" movement here in Philadelphia. We've had a murder for every day of the year so far, and in response for the community to get involved and come forward with information, people are selling "stop snitching" t shirts, etc. Truly sick.

The town where I live in Colorado has a good side and a bad side. Friends of mine that live on the bad side with the gangs and meth say that there are gunshots heard every few nights. Do you respond to all of them? Landon has a good point. Now, if you heard blood screams of pain and gunshots that would be different. But each time?

You ever lived in a bad appartment complex. Granted I hear an indoor gunshot I'd do something, but I hear stuff that sounds like gunshots and fights all the time... I don't always know if it actually is and I don't want to "cry wolf" until I'm sure.

---Landon

It all basically comes back to fight or flight.