Drive-by shooting
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A drive-by shooting (sometimes referred to merely as a drive-by) is an attack on a person carried out with one or more firearms, usually semi-automatic handguns or sub-machine guns from a moving vehicle (or a momentarily stopped vehicle). They often result in the shooting of innocent bystanders because the objective is to overwhelm the target by a sudden, massive amount of firepower without attention to accuracy. The Irish-American gangster, "Mad Dog" Coll, is believed to have invented the drive-by shooting. Drive by shootings were popular in the 1920's Chicago era and were usually carried out by one or more persons equipped with Thompson submachine guns, referred to as "Tommy Guns".
Drive-by shootings are popular among criminals and gang members, because the shooter is already in the getaway car. One of the first documented drive-by shootings in the United States was during the Chicago Race Riot of 1919. Drive-by shootings became common during the gang wars of the Prohibition era.
The Chinese Civil War saw the drive-by shooting elevated to military tactics, when warlords fielded armored cars (regular cars replated with steel sheets) with a mounted Colt machine gun on top. Drive-by assassinations of political leaders have been common in some regions and eras; they have been used extensively in postwar Iraq.
[edit] Drive-By Shootings in Pop Culture
There have been various references to drive-bys in western popular culture. They are extremely prevalent in Hip hop music where various rappers have mentioned being involved either directly, or indirectly in drive-by shootings. One very famous drive-by in Hip-Hop history was the murder of Rapper Tupac Shakur who was killed in 1996 after being shot 6 times, while in Las Vegas.
There have also been various instances of drive-bys in video games since this medium of entertainment has become more popular. such examples are in the Grand Theft Auto (series) video games, where the player may aim his sub-machine gun out of the window of his vehicle to shoot. In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas the player can recruit various gang members to shoot out of the car against his enemies who include police and various opposing gangs. The Godfather: The Game also features various levels where the player drives a car while an assistant uses a Thompson submachine gun out of the back windows. Finally, the game Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven enables the player to use the mouse for more precise aiming during drive-by shootings. The camera moves with the mouse adding to the realism as the player will often have to concentrate both on his target and his direction on the road at once.
Also, the friends of cartoon Gorillaz drummer Russel Hobbs were gunned down, according to the biography. The spirits of his friends (including Del Tha Funkee Homosapien) then possessed Russel, giving him his trademark white eyes and musical abilities.
Drive-by shootings are the leading cause of deaths of youths that are involved in gang related activity. They are easily done and are popular in poor areas of Los Angeles and San Diego.de:Drive-by shooting simple:Drive-by shooting fi:Drive-by shooting sv:Drive-by shooting
