03 July 2003 - 12:58 a.m.

So, guess what my neighborhood is right now. No, no, it's not an airport. No, it's not a teapot (huh?). That's right: It's a crime scene! I came home a little past six today, planning on doing my laundry, when I noticed a couple police cars zipping into my street. I pulled over to let another one pass, and he screams by, then pulls in sideways to make a barricade right at the start of my block. I pull up closer, but I've kinda realized I'm not gonna get home just now. I sat there for about five minutes to let the various emergency vehicles flood in (easily 15 police cars, plus ambulance and a fire truck [fire department responds to ALL emergency calls in Hartford]). Then I took off, 'cause they didn't really need me in their way.

(Quote from the Man of Steel: "Dude! Your street is like the Terminator!")

Six hours and some serious Dungeons and Dragons later...

I come home, and the whole place is still blocked off, squad cars at the corners, crime scene tape up. So (after circling a few times to find no parking) I park in the Kinko's lot a couple blocks down, and wander over to the nearest officer.

Me: Hi, uh... I live here.

Officer: What number?

Me: 55.

Officer: You're gonna have to go around and come in from the other side.

Me: Okay... So, uh, what happened?

Officer: Well, an officer was shot, and a gentleman was killed in the process.

Me: Oh.

The way he said "gentleman" gave me the impression of suspect, rather than bystander... Anyway, I managed to scavenge a parking space at the other end of the street, and another officer escorted me to my door so as not to disturb evidence. We went past a car bumper lying in the street, next to a yellow evidence tag bearing the number 28. Appearently, the officer told me, people were telling him they'd never seen so many cop cars in their lives. That's saying something, as they're a pretty common sight over here.

Upside: My neighborhood's never this quiet at this hour.

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