Survival Tips: Staying out of the Line of Fire in Police Emergencies

Investigators found multiple citizens walked and drove past police perimeters, right into the line of fire of shooter Marcus Schumacher.

Police tell me it’s tunnel vision.

Some of us literally go past barricades and squad cars – because we don’t understand what we’re looking at.

But I’m going to teach you what experts say about how to figure it out, and stay safe.

Minutes after Marcus Schumacher barricaded himself in here with guns and a grudge, SWAT members were in place in this nearby alley.

What happened then is still hard to believe.

“In some cases we do have the time to explain to people what’s going on. In this case we didn’t.”

Bullets flying – people and cars were still coming in to the police perimeter, oblivious to danger.

One was a local cab.

“I think I’d have a word with his employer. That’s crazy,” said Stan Severson of Fargo.

Another man’s car was disabled by a bullet.

“In this case, the gentleman’s car that got shot wasn’t aware, and wouldn’t have put himself in that situation,” said Deputy Chief Joe Anderson of Fargo Police.

If you come upon a police car at a scene, you don’t necessarily want to approach the officer. What you can do is check for news reports to see if there’s an address of a disturbance. And if you can see that address, remember that the person creating the disturbance can see you, and you could be a target.

Police say people stumbling into the line of fire or into accident scenes happens a lot.

It even happened to a Trooper at the scene.

“Trooper Malafa doesn’t work in the city of Fargo, and so he was at a disadvantage to know which house it was, which was the bad one, if you will,” said Deputy Chief Anderson.

And always – the safest plan is stay back, or stay low.

Whether it’s bullets or  bombs, police are busy and you could be in the way.

“Bullets kill people. You might go to a fire, but you don’t go to a gun fight,”  said Severson.

Police say also make sure you check for Code Red alerts or any other public agency announcements.

And make sure your own awareness is on high–alert any time you see sirens and lights.