Drive-by shooting
Encyclopedia
A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic
, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle
without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot
instead of, or as well as, the intended target. The objective is to overwhelm the target by a sudden, massive amount of firepower without attention to accuracy.
The tactic of drive-by shooting originated when assailants would ride up to their targets on horseback, shoot them with wheellock
pistols and then riding off before they could be apprehended. Some of the first gun control laws were developed to combat these shootings.
In the first decade of the 21st century, drive-by shootings were used by militants in Iraq
, including the assassinations of Waldemar Milewicz
and Hatem Kamil
.
s of political leaders have been common in some regions and eras. It was one of the tactics used by groups such as the Red Army Faction
, the Red Brigades
and November 17
. The November 17, 2000 assassination of Brigadier Stephen Saunders
was carried out by assassins on motorcycle who approached the vehicle while it was stopped at a traffic light and shot him dead before speeding off.
For a time in the 1970s the German special operations unit GSG 9
trained some of its operators in the "art" of the drive-by shooting so as to be able to better protect those in its charge.
, the August 2010 West Bank shooting
, the September 2010 West Bank shooting
and other incidents during 2010.
Palestinians have claimed that the Israeli military have killed Palestinian activists in drive-by shootings.
Hit-and-run tactics
Hit-and-run tactics is a tactical doctrine where the purpose of the combat involved is not to seize control of territory, but to inflict damage on a target and immediately exit the area to avoid the enemy's defense and/or retaliation.-History:...
, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle
Vehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot
Collateral damage
Collateral damage is damage to people or property that is unintended or incidental to the intended outcome. The phrase is prevalently used as an euphemism for civilian casualties of a military action.-Etymology:...
instead of, or as well as, the intended target. The objective is to overwhelm the target by a sudden, massive amount of firepower without attention to accuracy.
The tactic of drive-by shooting originated when assailants would ride up to their targets on horseback, shoot them with wheellock
Wheellock
A wheellock, wheel-lock or wheel lock, is a friction-wheel mechanism to cause a spark for firing a firearm. It was the next major development in firearms technology after the matchlock and the first self-igniting firearm. The mechanism is so-called because it uses a rotating steel wheel to provide...
pistols and then riding off before they could be apprehended. Some of the first gun control laws were developed to combat these shootings.
Military use
The British military used this form of drive-by shooting in its campaigns in North Africa and France during the Second World War. Columns of heavily armed jeeps, bristling with machine guns, would drive past and sometimes through enemy positions, usually airfields and supply depots, shooting anything and everything.In the first decade of the 21st century, drive-by shootings were used by militants in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, including the assassinations of Waldemar Milewicz
Waldemar Milewicz
Waldemar Milewicz was a Polish journalist and war correspondent.-Life and career:...
and Hatem Kamil
Hatem Kamil
Hatem Kamil Abdul Fatah was the deputy governor of Iraq's Baghdad Governorate.Hatem Kamil was assassinated by gunmen in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad, in the southern district of Dura, while on his way to work...
.
Gangland murders
Drive-by shootings have been employed by gang members and organized crime, since the Prohibition era of the 1920s in the United States. Then used mostly to disrupt distribution of alcohol by rivals, it is now used to commit revenge murder. Drive-bys are an efficient way of taking out rivals, as it allows the perpetrators to not only flee from the police but also quickly get out of a rival's territory.Political assassinations
Drive-by assassinationAssassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
s of political leaders have been common in some regions and eras. It was one of the tactics used by groups such as the Red Army Faction
Red Army Faction
The radicalized were, like many in the New Left, influenced by:* Sociological developments, pressure within the educational system in and outside Europe and the U.S...
, the Red Brigades
Red Brigades
The Red Brigades was a Marxist-Leninist terrorist organisation, based in Italy, which was responsible for numerous violent incidents, assassinations, and robberies during the so-called "Years of Lead"...
and November 17
Revolutionary Organization 17 November
Revolutionary Organization 17 November , was a Marxist urban guerrilla organization formed in 1975 and believed to have been disbanded in 2002 after the arrest and trial of a...
. The November 17, 2000 assassination of Brigadier Stephen Saunders
Stephen Saunders (military attache)
Brigadier Stephen Saunders , the British military attaché in Athens, was killed on 8 June 2000 by motorcycle gunmen who were members of Revolutionary Organization 17 November...
was carried out by assassins on motorcycle who approached the vehicle while it was stopped at a traffic light and shot him dead before speeding off.
For a time in the 1970s the German special operations unit GSG 9
GSG 9
The GSG 9 der Bundespolizei , is the elite counter-terrorism and special operations unit of the German Federal Police.-History and name:...
trained some of its operators in the "art" of the drive-by shooting so as to be able to better protect those in its charge.
In the Israeli—Palestine conflict
Palestinian militants have conducted drive-by shootings, examples include the Killing of Rabbi Meir HaiKilling of Rabbi Meir Hai
The killing of Rabbi Meir Hai was an attack carried out by Palestinian Fatah militants on 24 December 2009 in the West Bank.- Background :Rabbi Meir Avshalom Hai, was a 45-year-old Israeli Rabbi and father of seven who lived in the Israeli settlement Shavei Shomron located in the northern West...
, the August 2010 West Bank shooting
August 2010 West Bank shooting
The August 2010 West Bank shooting attack was an attack near Kiryat Arba, carried out by Hamas militants. Four Israeli settlers were killed after gunmen attacked their vehicle...
, the September 2010 West Bank shooting
2010 Palestinian militancy campaign
The 2010 Palestinian militancy campaign is a coordinated effort by 13 Palestinian militant groups, led by Islamist group Hamas, to derail peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The campaign consists of attacks against Israel in which, according to a Hamas declaration in early...
and other incidents during 2010.
Palestinians have claimed that the Israeli military have killed Palestinian activists in drive-by shootings.