Posted on 03/24/2006 12:04:47 PM PST by Supernatural
A worker at a Downtown steam plant who brought a pellet rifle to work to shoot pigeons was mistaken for a sniper Wednesday afternoon, prompting police to shut down part of the city for about two hours.
Richard Wills, of Dawson, Fayette County, a maintenance worker in the Pittsburgh Allegheny County Thermal building, brought the weapon to work to chase pigeons away from broken windows on the building's roof, said PACT President Robert Fazio. Someone apparently spotted him - and his rifle - when he stepped out onto the roof for a few seconds, Fazio said.
At least three witnesses called police, claiming they saw a sniper atop a Penn Avenue building, sparking a two-hour shutdown of several city blocks and a brief manhunt by the city Police Bureau's most heavily armed officers. Police arrived on the scene shortly after 1 p.m., stunning lunchtime crowds as they set up a command center in Fifth Avenue Place and blocked off parts of Penn Avenue, Stanwix Street, Liberty Avenue and highway ramps into the Golden Triangle.
A police officer standing guard outside the door of a Penn Avenue restaurant gave bar manager Carie Wakinekona a terse and troubling answer when she asked him about the massive police presence. "Guy with a rifle," he said. The news traveled fast.
For rest of article: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_435980.html
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
"There's a sniper on the roof so I'm going to run out into the street".
NOBODY in the story displayed any common sense whatsoever.
It is a heavily liberal city. I guess that explains a lot.
Unbelievable!! The stupid mayor must want to live forever.
"Mostly to frighten feral cats from the property to protect songbirds without making too much noise in the neighborhood."
Most of those guns are likely to be a bit high powered to shoot cats w/o seriously hurting them. Unless you shoot cleaning pellets at 'em. Maybe an airsoft?
If you want a reasonably priced, very accurate pellet gun, Airgun Depot is closing out the Beeman R7 in .20 cal. It's lightish power for a spring-air, but very quiet. Shoots about 600 fps, depending on pellet. Here's their page for the sale:
http://www.airgundepot.com/beeman-air-rifle-r7.html
No affiliation except for being a satisfied customer.
I remember having live ammo at school right after President Kennedy was assisinated (8th grade) and the teachers showing an interest in the bullets I had with me. They were asking questions like "Is this one like the bullet that killed the president"?
The dummy grenade I brought in the same day raised no eyebrows either. I shouldn't have brought it, though, as it was bulky and heavy and didn't fit into my pocket. I carried it to all of my classes and set it on my desk.
In grade school we brought pocket knives with us and played mumbly-peg on the school lawn during recess and lunch time.
I'm with you, I'm glad I grew up when I did.
This is my Rifle,
This is my Gun,
One is fighting,
One is for fun.
OOhhhRRaaahhhHHHH!
"This is my rifle. There are many others like it, but this one is mine"!
"For every pigeon you kill, ten more will rise up to take its place."
That's the beauty.
Skyrats.
"For every pigeon you kill, ten more will rise up to take its place."
That's the beauty.
Hysteria certainly ruled the day in Pittsburgh.
Police reopened the streets shortly before 3 p.m., and officials declared the mobilization a success.
"Everybody worked together," O'Connor said later.
Yes, let's all pat each other on the back for a job well overdone!
Haha. If this were a steak, it would crunch like a potatoe chip when you bit into it. :-)
A bunch of incompetent stumblebums working together to accomplish...what?
Just keeping the streets safe for the citizens.
I think the best part of the story was partly untold in the article.
While "all the King's horses and all the King's men" were out looking for the guy with the "rifle", Wills, who has worked at the steam plant for about 20 years, left the scene before police could question him, Costa said.
The guy slipped through the giant "dragnet" and was home long before he knew anything about all the hoopla he had caused.
ROFLMAO!
marteen, you wandering around loose up there again?
Yep, when they close the streets down, they get REALLY SAFE!!!
I'm going to go out on a limb and play armchair quarterback for a sec...
Calls come in saying there is a man with a gun on a roof.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes"
"Have any shots been fired?"
"I didn't hear any shots."
"Okay, we'll send a policeman to check it out".
Officer: "We got some calls that there is a man on the roof of your building with a gun".
"Oh yea, it's a pellet gun. He's trying to scare off some pigeons".
Case closed, instead of downtown. Who knows, it might have worked.
True! That is funny. The guy got out without being detected without even knowing he'd caused such a ruckus.
Had he been a real sniper, he'd have been just as gone.
Those people couldn't find their own behinds with both hands, a map, a clue and a mirror.
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble,
When you're perfect in every way
I can't wait to call out the SWAT Team
When someone's scarin pigeons away
It very well could've been a sniper
Who's itchin to blow someone away
But when it turns out to be just a BB gun
I congratulate myself anyway!
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