Nightmare come true: Shots fired overnight

I remember waking up around 1:00 AM. I was too sleepy to clearly see my alarm clock. It was still dark out; I could see that from my window. I had woken up because of a loud sound. I didn’t know if I had dreamt it or if it was real.

I went back to sleep not thinking much about it. I didn’t think I was in any danger since something like this has never happened where I live.

I tried to sleep, but I heard voices in the living room and knew that my parents were awake and none of this was a dream. They were perhaps more worried than I was, looking out the window trying to figure out what had happened.

They asked me if I had heard a loud noise which I indeed heard. It was loud, like fireworks. I was scared, thinking that it could have actually been gunshots. Sadly, I was correct.

Deputies were called at 1:30 AM because of the gunshots. I later found out that a gas can was thrown at a bedroom window in order to set the house on fire.

I didn’t know any of this that night when I grabbed my phone and texted my friend if she was okay. I saw lights coming from outside my window and was worried about my friend who lived nearby. I could see a few police cars. I went back to the living room. My mom asked me to text our neighbor and ask if she was okay as well.

We stayed inside scared and worried. We saw lights outside coming from the police who were searching around the area. My friend had finally answered me, I was shaking texting her back. Thankfully, she was fine.

Although my friend was safe with her family, I was still worried about my neighbor since she lives alone and her house was really close to where the shots were fired.

Some time passed by and we could hear the sheriffs knocking on our neighbor’s door. After they left, our neighbor called us telling us about what had happened. Her house had been shot at least 4 times.

At the moment I couldn’t believe what I was hearing on the phone, it had actually been a shooting incident. I was overwhelmed with emotions thinking that it was so close to my home and something terrible could have happened to me and my family.

***

When I was three years old, my parents had to move because the place where we lived was really dangerous. A similar incident happened one day and they were scared that it could happen again and I would get hurt. It’s saddening that these situations can’t be prevented nowadays. Of course they moved to a much better place, but in 13 years, it happened again.

Although we want to live in a world where we feel safe, each day there is more and more violence. It feels like it’s something normal when it shouldn’t be. I shouldn’t be afraid that one night could end up being my last; however, I am.

“As I went through to see the news about what had happened the next morning, I not only saw the shooting that had happened near my home, but also one in Rantoul, the Fedex shooting and more. I can see now that it happens too much and it’s scary,” said Marisol Juan, my friend who was close to the shooting.

When these things happen it’s hard to really feel the same afterwards. It’s a moment in which you realize that shootings are common, that your life is at risk at any time. It’s not like you can escape it but you also don’t want to be a part of it.

It’s also not just about you being safe but also the people you care about. That night I was worried about my brother, I looked out his window the next day and held in my tears as I saw the house that had been shot about 50 times looking straight at me. I could see the bullet holes, I could see where the gas can had been thrown. Terrifying.

When it happens to you is when you realize there’s a problem, but we can’t wait for it to happen to everyone before we try to do something. By then it will be too late.