Should I be freaking out? WTF?

Nakatomi2010

So, it's 1:38am on March 31st.... I swear I just woke up to a *bang* pause then 4 more bangs upstairs... About a minute or so later I heard a woman shouting "Don't you f*ing touch me" and a few other things I couldn't make out, I heard something sound like it fell and crash and like marbles went everywhere, and now I appear to be hearing someone sweeping up the marbles..... Or whatever it is.....


I am freaked right out now because I have no idea whether I should all the cops, get my wife and I into a car and drive aroudn for a bit.....

I do seem to hear two people up there right now, assuming things have calm down, one is cleaning the marbles, and another is waking around.....

Also, assuming there is gunfire, what is the likely hood of a stray bullet going through their floor and into my apartment? I've heard of it happening, just want to make sure that in nice apartments like mine its technically not likely going to happen.....

Assuming it WAS gun fire, I'm assuming one of my other neighbors would've heard it called the cops first right?

Dhalphir

Assuming it WAS gun fire, I'm assuming one of my other neighbors would've heard it called the cops first right?

Unless they're thinking the same as you and assuming "someone else will have called the cops"

this is how things go unreported

call the cops and just say what you said to us

they will at least have it on file, and it may help when/if something happens and it comes time to prosecute or whatever

Nakatomi2010

Dhalphir wrote: »

Assuming it WAS gun fire, I'm assuming one of my other neighbors would've heard it called the cops first right?

Unless they're thinking the same as you and assuming "someone else will have called the cops"

this is how things go unreported

call the cops and just say what you said to us

they will at least have it on file, and it may help when/if something happens and it comes time to prosecute or whatever

I hear the vacuum now.... Obviously whatever happened its over.... And now some kind of scraping against the floor.... Or maybe wiping.... If I hear anymore shouting our lod dangerous sounds I'll call... But I'm definatly go to the rental office first thing in the morning.... I know one of the rental ladies rents an upstairs unit in the same building as me and I think is attached to the same people, but upstairs, so I dunno......

Steel Angel

Nakatomi2010 wrote: »

I am freaked right out now because I have no idea whether I should all the cops, get my wife and I into a car and drive aroudn for a bit.....

Sounds like a justifiable reason to call in a domestic disturbance, possibly non-emergency line if it's passed.

Assuming it WAS gun fire, I'm assuming one of my other neighbors would've heard it called the cops first right?

If it WAS gunfire, the woman probably would have called police. Given the sequence of events and words, it sounds like it would be a self-defense case if it were. People attempting murder with a firearm usually don't say "Don't touch me" afterwards.

Also, assuming there is gunfire, what is the likely hood of a stray bullet going through their floor and into my apartment? I've heard of it happening, just want to make sure that in nice apartments like mine its technically not likely going to happen.....

First, they'd have to be aiming pretty downward or have horrible marksmanship for a stray shot to go from an apartment right above yours to go into yours. That said, if it was a handgun, fairly possible. If it was a rifle or shotgun, almost certainly. Outside of brick and stonework, nothing you build a dwelling out of can reliably stop bullets.

Nakatomi2010

I just heard a loud thud followed by dogs barking.... Someone is still wandering around up there.... It probably wouldn't be so bad if my current medical condition didn't require me to sleep on the couch beneath the room with all the activity going on.....

Arikado

Stop posting. Call the landlord after you called the cops.

Guffrey

Why exactly wouldn't you call the police? I believe you can remain anonymous if you so choose, but really. Stop worrying about not being able to sleep because they are right above you, start worrying that some lady might just have gotten the shit beat out of her, or worse. If something really bad did go down, you just helped a person out. If somehow, and that would be a big somehow, this just isn't what it seems, well false alarm. This kind of thing is what the police are paid for.

VThornheart

My friend, don't be afraid to call the police. Remember that, in the worst case scenario, it's what they get paid for. They're no use if you don't actually use them when you think something fucked up is going on.

So give 'em a call.

Raneados

this is actually related to a problem the police have

when they don't show up to a scene within a certain amount of time, people get mad. They think cops are lazy. But what people don't think about is the time between discovery and the discoverer calling the cops

which is often quite a long time

call the cops, they're there for this sort of thing, call the nonemergency number if you want, cops don't get pissy at you for calling the emergency nu,ber for things like this, as a LOT of calls to 911 are things like directions/construction/complaining about parking tickets.

Call the cops, make sure everything is okay, don't be afraid to call the cops

Thanatos

For fuck's sake, call the cops. That's what they're there for.

I swear, I've called cops in similar situation three times before, while half a dozen other people just stood around slack-jawed going "should we call the cops?" That's how rapes go down in the middle of crowded neighborhoods without anyone doing anything.

They won't be pissed, they're not going to come after you for making a false report or anything like that unless you start making a habit of calling the police for every little thing. You hear sounds like that, it's a perfectly reasonable reaction.

Fats

nthing call the cops, so at the very least there is a paper trail if this becomes a pattern.

I'm sure it wasn't gunfire, though -- if someone fired a gun in the room above yours, you'd know it. That shit is loud, doubly so inside.

Raneados

[not all guns are amazing explosion machines]

some of them are quite dull

Fats

I took a handgun course with a "shoot house", even at the far end of the building the sound is significantly different than anything one could make normally. Sitting in the unit downstairs, I think it would be apparent.

Anyway, uh, here's hoping he called the cops and went back to bed.

Szechuanosaurus

Oh wait. Did this get moved? I swear I was in SE++.

Soz.

Dhalphir

Szech whats your problem are you trying to get banned

Szechuanosaurus

I blame tabed browsing. I don't know where the fuck I am anymore. Carry on. :oops:

Sarcastro

I was mildly suprised to find out that real gunfire hardly sounds llike anything I've heard through my entertainment experiences. In my case it sounded rather like someone popping a small juicebox. I suppose it depends on the caliber, but it took several of these odd little popping sounds to make the connection of Wha? Is ... is someone shooting at me?

Yes.. yes they were. Cops were talked to. Lets pretend they did something about it, it makes it easier to sleep at night.

As far as gun fire through an apt floor, depends on the gun and the floor. Older smaller apts have wood, larger apts have concrete. Y'aint shooting through concrete any time soon. Even wood flooring is double layered, (their floor + your cieling/finishing) so its still pretty unlikely. High caliber handguns (.45, .50) might do it, 22's and 9 millis won't. Not to mention you'd have to be shooting almost straight down or up; firing at any kind of angle increases the distance of wood the bullet has to chew through, the probability of deflection, etc. I would be most worried about same floor fire.

Khavall

Ever hear the story about the girl who was raped 5 times in NYC in a crowded neighborhood and then fatally stabbed the 5th time?

It's true, she was beaten up and raped right in the middle of the street where people were listening, maybe even watching from above, all assuming that someone else would've called the cops.

Call the fucking cops.

Szechuanosaurus

Sarcastro wrote: »

I was mildly suprised to find out that real gunfire hardly sounds llike anything I've heard through my entertainment experiences. In my case it sounded rather like someone popping a small juicebox. I suppose it depends on the caliber, but it took several of these odd little popping sounds to make the connection of Wha? Is ... is someone shooting at me?

Yes.. yes they were. Cops were talked to. Lets pretend they did something about it, it makes it easier to sleep at night.

What were they shooting at you with? Even a .22 rifle makes a hell of a bang when it goes off. You need to wear muffs if you're firing it in an enclosed space like a shooting range. The only time I ever stood next to a dear rifle being fired, it was deafening. Echoed off the hills for a good five seconds afterwards. Shotguns are lower on the octave but still hells of loud. And that's standing behind them, I'd imagine it's considerably louder if the business end is pointing at you.

Thanatos

Szechuanosaurus wrote: »

Sarcastro wrote: »

I was mildly suprised to find out that real gunfire hardly sounds llike anything I've heard through my entertainment experiences. In my case it sounded rather like someone popping a small juicebox. I suppose it depends on the caliber, but it took several of these odd little popping sounds to make the connection of Wha? Is ... is someone shooting at me?

Yes.. yes they were. Cops were talked to. Lets pretend they did something about it, it makes it easier to sleep at night.

What were they shooting at you with? Even a .22 rifle makes a hell of a bang when it goes off. You need to wear muffs if you're firing it in an enclosed space like a shooting range. The only time I ever stood next to a dear rifle being fired, it was deafening. Echoed off the hills for a good five seconds afterwards. Shotguns are lower on the octave but still hells of loud. And that's standing behind them, I'd imagine it's considerably louder if the business end is pointing at you.

I don't know what kind of .22 you were hearing, but it doesn't sound like a standard .22 LR.

I'm incredibly sensitive to loud noises (I fucking hate balloons, because they're like a pop waiting to happen), and I don't even wear ear protection for a .22 LR.

Daenris

Szechuanosaurus wrote: »

What were they shooting at you with? Even a .22 rifle makes a hell of a bang when it goes off. You need to wear muffs if you're firing it in an enclosed space like a shooting range. The only time I ever stood next to a dear rifle being fired, it was deafening. Echoed off the hills for a good five seconds afterwards. Shotguns are lower on the octave but still hells of loud. And that's standing behind them, I'd imagine it's considerably louder if the business end is pointing at you.

I suspect if there was gunfire in the adjacent apartment it was likely a handgun. I'm not all that familiar with gun sounds in real life having only heard some distant hunting rifles and some handgun fire from a few blocks away, but isn't a rifle going to be much louder than a handgun? You're talking about rifles and shotguns there, not some little pistol that someone has stashed in their nightstand or something.

Szechuanosaurus

Daenris wrote: »

Szechuanosaurus wrote: »

What were they shooting at you with? Even a .22 rifle makes a hell of a bang when it goes off. You need to wear muffs if you're firing it in an enclosed space like a shooting range. The only time I ever stood next to a dear rifle being fired, it was deafening. Echoed off the hills for a good five seconds afterwards. Shotguns are lower on the octave but still hells of loud. And that's standing behind them, I'd imagine it's considerably louder if the business end is pointing at you.

I suspect if there was gunfire in the adjacent apartment it was likely a handgun. I'm not all that familiar with gun sounds in real life having only heard some distant hunting rifles and some handgun fire from a few blocks away, but isn't a rifle going to be much louder than a handgun? You're talking about rifles and shotguns there, not some little pistol that someone has stashed in their nightstand or something.

Sacastro's was a different situation, but yeah. Best i can find on .22 rifles is about 110 dB which is damaging for long periods (equivalent to a live band) so you should wear protection in shooting ranges where there's constant firing but probably wouldn't be any louder than a drinks carton being popped.

Hand guns vary. A .22 pistol wouldn't be much different to a .22 rifle. A larger caliber handgun could be considerably louder, I'd assume. But yeah, I guess you'd really have to have heard one to know what one sounds like, especially from a half-asleep state.

If I still lived in a flat and heard an argument followed by a series of loud bangs and a crash followed by a spilled-marble sound, I'd assume domestic argument followed by people banging doors in rage triggering a vase containing glass pebbles to fall off a stand and spill over the floor. I guess interpretation of noise is skewed by cultural differences.

I'd still call the police. I don't need other people's domestics and childish door-slamming disturbing my sleep.

Fats

Thanatos wrote: »

I'm incredibly sensitive to loud noises (I fucking hate balloons, because they're like a pop waiting to happen), and I don't even wear ear protection for a .22 LR.

The little .22 crack bugs the hell out of me. On the other hand, shotguns don't bother me at all, and I (stupidly) never wear protection when shooting clays.

Steel Angel

Like all noises, gunfire will depend on the acoustics of whatever environment you're in. Stuff sounds much quieter at outdoor ranges, even when there's more people firing, and there's much more reverberation indoors.

As a general rule, it will sound something like a firecracker going off in whatever environment you're in. Sometimes a REALLY loud one indoors, but in those cases it's still distinct from the sound made from an object hitting a hard surface due to the bit of echoing.

As for the .22 discussion, it's definitely going to sound louder or quieter depending on the gun it's fired from. Bolt action rifles will be quieter than the mechanisms where the force of the powder going off automatically opens up the chamber to the outside world.

FirstComradeStalin

Nakatomi, did you call the cops?

Nakatomi2010

I've calmed down now considerably....

No, I did not call the cops, however the first thing I did this morning was explain the fact that my upstairs neighbors are scary the crap out of me to my apartment rental people... The bright side is that my apartment complex is one of the few apartment complexes where rental managament actually listen and do something.... What this something is I have no idea, but I know that one of the rental ladies lives in the unit next door to the one the bang occured in..... She doesn't think it was a gunshot, but she heard the bang....


I will admit that I DO live in Florida and apparently a shuttle landed last night.... Does anyone know what time it landed, its entirely possible I heard the sonic boom overhead and the shouting and shattering was fluke timing...... Would've had to happen at 1:30am......


I did tell the rental ladies that I will be complaining more about them and calling the cops more as well...

The upstairs neighbors have also been cleaning all day... So I dunno what's up with that....

Edit: amazing, I wish all "updates" appeared a tthe top of a new page....

Belketre

Pretty sure the police dont need to be called every time your neighbors have a heated argument. At this point, thats all it sounds like. Unless you hear something that would give an indication that somebody has been violent, the cops probably have much better things to do.

xraydog

STS-123 landed at 8:40pm on March 26th. And its sonic boom is a quick double boom. So it wasn't that.

JHunz

Belketre wrote: »

Unless you hear something that would give an indication that somebody has been violent, the cops probably have much better things to do.

I don't know what your definition of indications of violence are, but hearing loud banging sounds, shouting, and objects shattering definitely fits into mine. I've called the cops for similar things, and one of the times an ambulance showed up a couple minutes after the cops did and carted someone away.

Szechuanosaurus

JHunz wrote: »

Belketre wrote: »

Unless you hear something that would give an indication that somebody has been violent, the cops probably have much better things to do.

I don't know what your definition of indications of violence are, but hearing loud banging sounds, shouting, and objects shattering definitely fits into mine. I've called the cops for similar things, and one of the times an ambulance showed up a couple minutes after the cops did and carted someone away.

I'd do it on grounds of anti-social behavior alone. There's really no excuse for screaming and banging, especially if no one is getting shot. Reporting it to the landlord was probably a more fruitful approach in this instance though.

JihadJesus

Does anyone else find the fact that they've been cleaning the apartment since 1 in the morning to be somewhat disconcerting? Pops, etc, all have perfectly reasonable explanations in a normal non-violent domestic argument....but who on earth finishes their petty squabble by scrubbing the house for hours in the dead of night?

Nakatomi2010

JihadJesus wrote: »

Does anyone else find the fact that they've been cleaning the apartment since 1 in the morning to be somewhat disconcerting? Pops, etc, all have perfectly reasonable explanations in a normal non-violent domestic argument....but who on earth finishes their petty squabble by scrubbing the house for hours in the dead of night?

You know, I haven't heard any noises at all from them upstairs today, nor did I see their car parked outside....

I'm sure everything is ok.....