Shots fired: Duck first and ask questions later

At a few minutes to 10pm on Thursday night, a random burst of sound cut through the not-so-quiet night air in downtown Arua City. It sounded very much like gunfire. Then there was quiet for a while so that one was not sure what they had heard. While I lay trying to puzzle out why someone might be shooting in the neighbourhood, I got my confirmation minutes later in the form of more gunshots and what sounded like small explosions. 

So, someone was definitely shooting. Even the bars playing music in the hood seemed to have gone temporarily mute. Forgive me if I was not quick to run out into the streets to confirm the direction of fire or the cause of the shooting. It was night-time and without a little intelligence on the shape of things, one might walk right smack into it. 

As a matter of fact, several nightmare situations were already playing in my head, such as the concept of stray bullets and how I could get caught up in someone else’s fight. Stranger things have happened. Passers-by have been caught up in riots and been felled by “stray” bullets, otherwise known as bullets not meant for them, for what is a stray bullet? 

As I waited for the shooting to subside or more information to trickle in on the reason for the shooting, several scenarios played out in my head. Could it be a jealous lover with a gun, trying to exact revenge on the person suspected to have stolen their spouse? Maybe they had decided to shoot up the entire street as part of the package. I also remembered one of my contacts telling me just the day before, pointing out a corner of town that he says is some kind of thug avenue. 

Maybe a robbery was going down and police were in hot pursuit of the gang members. Wait, who was shooting now? Was it police or the fleeing robbers?

Even the notion of a terror attack was not far from my imagination. I pictured a mass shooting. I realised that perhaps being caught out in the streets during the shooting might not be the scariest thing. Being taken by surprise, unable to work out the where or how events were unfolding, that is when you had more reason to be afraid. You might reach your maker never knowing exactly why and how you departed this world.  

All this took place in about five minutes. As you can see, a minute is a very long time when bullets are flying. The flashbacks I had in this moment sent me all the way back to childhood memories of insecurity, robbers in the hood and later shootings linked to city riots, doors firmly shut and cowering under beds, among other things. 

My children might not know to duck when shots are fired. It might take them awhile to work out what is going on. Based on their experiences, I am sure there are children in this country for whom the sound of gunfire produces a different reaction and stirs up a whole other range of emotions. This night-time incident brought home just how my instinct has been honed to duck first and ask questions later. 

A few terrified minutes later, my sources came through, informing me that law enforcement officers were trying to break up a protest where a mob was trying to lynch a motorist who had caused a fatal accident. A sad state of affairs that needed to be brought under control though no one likes to hear that many shots fired.

Ms Nampewo is a writer, editor and communications consultant     
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