No fewer than five different readers posted comments on an unrelated story Monday claiming to have heard gunshots on Saturday afternoon near Church and Hermann Streets.
So, we looked into it.
It turns out we have some good news and some bad news. The good news is, SFPD spokesman Carlos Manfredi told us that there was no record of anyone being injured in the area around the time that our readers reported hearing the gunfire. The bad news, at least in our opinion, is that there was no record of anyone reporting the gunfire, either. Despite comments like "it was quite jarring" and "I kept my head down for about ten minutes in case of more trouble," no one, apparently, called the police. Officer Manfredi pointed out that common sounds like construction work can often be mistaken for gunfire, so it's possible that no shots were actually fired. We just don't know. So here's a quick reminder: if you think you hear 8 to 10 gunshots outside your window, don't wait for news to break on a neighborhood blog. Do us all a favor and call the police, and let them take it from there.
It turns out we have some good news and some bad news. The good news is, SFPD spokesman Carlos Manfredi told us that there was no record of anyone being injured in the area around the time that our readers reported hearing the gunfire. The bad news, at least in our opinion, is that there was no record of anyone reporting the gunfire, either. Despite comments like "it was quite jarring" and "I kept my head down for about ten minutes in case of more trouble," no one, apparently, called the police. Officer Manfredi pointed out that common sounds like construction work can often be mistaken for gunfire, so it's possible that no shots were actually fired. We just don't know. So here's a quick reminder: if you think you hear 8 to 10 gunshots outside your window, don't wait for news to break on a neighborhood blog. Do us all a favor and call the police, and let them take it from there.
