Shooting Up Octaves

At about 2:00 AM one fall morning I was walking down the back hall of the police department to go outside through the back door.  At the back of the building was the parking lot where we parked our police cars and our POVs (personally owned vehicle). I had been in the building to turn in some reports and use the restroom while there.

As I opened the back door I saw a car drive into the back lot right behind another car.   I started to hear shots coming from both vehicles As I ducked back in the building I spoke into my shoulder microphone my call number and there were shots being fired in the back lot.  The dispatcher started to acknowledge me with a rudimentary 10- 4, but you could hear a change in his voice, as he was half through the acknowledgement. Apparently it took him a few seconds to realize what I actually had said. He asked if I was hurt or if I knew of anyone else hurt. I told him I was fine and I didn't know about anyone else. About that time the lieutenant in the building came running down the hall toward the back door.  Guns drawn, we both opened the door slightly and peered out and observed no vehicles in the lot. They apparently had already left.  We did look in the lot and found shell casings on the ground.  

After I walked inside the dispatcher was chuckling because he said in my radio traffic he could her my voice go up an octave each time I said a shot was fired.  He said its not that I sounded scared or out of control, but my voice got extremely high.

We never found out who was shooting at whom. No one had been injured and sought medical help because we never heard word from the hospital.

Having my voice go high has been a constant problem for me throughout the years.  I must concentrate hard to keep it somewhat low. But in emergencies when time is of the essence I just speak without taking the time to concentrate.

My thoughts today are on all the violence and potential violence the past week  in the news. It has been full of homicides, homicide suicides, bomb scares etc. Worse than I ever recall. What is happening? Why this recent peak?