Editor:
My family was one of only a few (to my knowledge) who called 911 when someone began firing shots close to Highway 243 near the Nature Center.
Approximately 45 to 50 shots were fired, including four rounds of five shots. We called Dispatch three times during a one-hour period — even holding the phone away from us so Dispatch could hear the shots.
Law enforcement did not respond (again, to my knowledge) until two hours later. Residents and visitors could have been walking their dogs or hiking the trails near the Nature Center. Children could have been playing in a nearby area.
I am baffled that so few people reported this if that is the case and even more baffled that it took law enforcement so long to respond. (Of course, no one was apprehended two hours after the incident.)
The person firing the shots was not target shooting, as we could tell shots were being fired in different directions. Could the shooter have been targeting the wildlife on our mountain or finding a way to simply rid frustrations? Whatever it was, it needed an immediate response and that did not happen.
Linda Stroud
Idyllwild
