Guy on Rooftop w/BB Gun on Park Place Franklin - Fri N

Tonight I was exiting the Franklin Avenue Shuttle station on Park Place at 12:20AM (with my husband and an older family member) and immediately heard a pop, pop, pop and the sound of bullets hitting the street at our feet. In looking up quickly to the source of the sound, we saw a lone, tall, dark figure in silhouette on the rooftop of the building right beside the shuttle tracks, on the south side of Park Place. There was no doubt he was aiming at us - and two fellow pedestrians - with what we immediately recognized as a gun. We started running and when we further realized that the sound of the bullets hitting the pavement was following us we became quite panicked and ran faster till we got to the laundromat at Franklin and Park. We were quite scared. Once we got to the laundromat and were able to speak to one another and make sense of the situation, we realized the sound was more like a BB gun. I called 911, and noticed that one of the other pedestrians, an older man, was doing the same just across the street.

My husband spied two cops on foot patrol just down Franklin and ran down to them to let them know what was going on while I stayed on the phone with 911. The cops ran over to the building on Franklin and went inside. A few minutes later we saw their flashlights beaming on the rooftop. After no additional cop cars showed up, I called 911 again. Finally a police vehicle arrived at the scene with about 6-8 policemen. When I explained what had happened... I am not kidding, the policeman and his colleagues looked like they were holding back smirks the entire time I was speaking, and said "It was just a kid with a bb gun having some fun" This made me and my husband quite upset so I replied "I live in this neighborhood, and YOU all have to work in this precinct. You know what happened yesterday - a man, who was apparently targeted, was shot 5 times and died - we have tried to remove the fear from of the community by saying that yesterday's crime had an intended victim. Tonight's incident was a guy on a rooftop shooting RANDOMLY at pedestrians. BB gun or no BB gun, we should all scared of the coming summer." A few of them agreed with me that they are also scared about what the summer will bring. I was also quick to point out - this was not a kid - it was a grown man, at least 6 ft tall, with a sturdy build, who also knew full well what went down a few blocks away yesterday. At this point the policemen became more serious and proceeded to write up a report. Quite frankly, the whole episode with the cops was as unbelievable as the experience of having to run to avoid bullets coming from a rooftop.

I can't quite get my head around the fact that ANYONE - even if it was an older teen with a BB gun - in their right mind - would go out on a rooftop - after what happened a mere 36 hours ago and play games like this. It feels like neighborhood terrorism. THIS SITUATION OF ESCALATING CRIME MUST BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY - ESPECIALLY WHEN IN COMES TO THE ATTITUDE OF POLICEMEN ASSIGNED TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD - AND WHAT WE ARE ALL BRACING OURSELVES FOR THIS SUMMER. Sorry if my thoughts are somewhat jumbled, I am still reeling from what just happened.

I have been an avid reader of Brooklynian for 3 years, and after what happened to me tonight - especially in light of yesterday's fatal shooting on Franklin - has compelled to write this post, my first public post.