Sounds Mistaken for Gunfire Cause Panic on Broadway

We’re afraid now. I mean, we have reason to be, don’t we? We no longer living in a civilized place. Guns in America are so easy to come by it seems possible that any teenager can easily get their hands on a weapon that shouldn’t be seen anywhere off the field of battle.

So we’re afraid now. But how afraid? Try this from Deadline Hollywood:

Tonight’s performance of To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway ended abruptly after backfire sounds heard on the street were mistaken for gunshots. A witness told Deadline that audience members panicked and started running down the aisles or ducking for cover, and cast members left the stage during the show’s final scene.

A source on the scene at the Shubert Theatre told Deadline the incident happened just before 10 p.m. ET and was exacerbated by frightened pedestrians dashing from the street into the lobby and nearby Sardi’s restaurant. Other theaters along 44th Street and 45th Street apparently also experienced disturbances, but that could not be immediately confirmed.

So we’re afraid. And we’re right to be afraid. Something has to change.

Photo by mwangi gatheca on Unsplash.