Hello, first post here, I've been lurking for about a week and wanted to respond to this. Keep in mind these decisions are made from the comfort and safety of my work office but i have had my share of being in dangerous scenarios (though not as bad as yours).
1) Without ccw, i dont see how you could have done anything other than what you did.
With ccw - I would have waited for them to start attacking, and try to get a vibe if they were just releasing a bit of steam and would tire and move on, or if things were escalating. If things were escalating into something worse, I would have grabbed one smaller than me and take him as a hostage. Using the hostage to get out of the alley. This IS their friend and unless they were armed they would have let you go.
If any others had guns they would draw them at this point and since you're drawn first you would have had the opportunity to shoot first. I imagine with them being up close and personal you'd have the opportunity to get the jump on and shoot at least two of them in the face, which should stop them instantly. Any that are unarmed (the majority) would flee after that. I know - I watch too many movies, but that is what i would have done.
The thing about just drawing and shooting, there are soo many of them there that you dont know who is armed and who isnt, and it is likely that while you're shooting someone your attn is taken away from who is drawing on you. Whereas, if you surprise someone and grabe em by the neck, youve got control of him and can focus on everybody else and who is pulling stuff out of their pants.
2) I imagine myself doing the same thing you did. Even with a gun its too hard to hit a moving target anyway. Maybe draw and prepare for a gunfight, (hoping they would decide its not worth the trouble) in which case I would switch to intimidation tactics and actually start walking toward the vehicle so that I could get a better shot. Lastly, I might have run, but ONLY if there was something close by for cover.
My choice of action would have depended ENTIRELY upon what frame of mind I was in at that particular moment.
3) "One of them sticks his torso out of the top of the car, and sits in the window frame (dukes of hazzard style), and starts yelling "Where you from bitch!?" at me."
At this point I would have told him I am not from any gang. (Not that it ever made a difference when I was in that position before.) When he went back inside the window I would have began swiftly walking away. If it were a street, I would have begun walking in the reverse direction. If they followed I would have hand my hand on my gun, waiting for the moment to draw.
Unless there was nowhere to go in which case I would have had my hand on my gun at that point. When he came back out of the window with something in his hand, I would have drawn and been aiming it at him. Hopefully in the time it took me to draw I would have realized it wasnt a gun.
4) I would have done exactly the same as you did.
5) Same thing you did.
6) Would have gotten my gun, handed mom the phone and told her to call the police, crouched in a position with good aim at the door. If police did not come after 30 min i would possibly have tried to clear the basement myself.
7) What can you do? File a police report and, like you did, wait in ambush style for it to happen again.
8) Would have called the police. The thinking here is, with all the neighbors they dont know who called the police, it could have been someone from two blocks away. Also would have looked out the window to see if they were shooting at the house or not. If they were, gunfight time. If not, wait for the police.
Actually, thats my clear head talking. I tend to get an adrenaline rush and it is possible that i would have concealed my gun, walked outside and stood far enough away, in a strategically chosen location so that it appeared like I wasnt afraid while at the same time I can still run for cover at a moments notice. Would have hollered across the street and said "can you stop that, I'm trying to sleep". Would not have called the cops if I chose that action because then they would tie the cops to me.
9) Same as your uncle.
10) When the cop drove by that was your moment to run. Not only did it momentarily distract them, but if they pursued me, I would have pursued the cop. At some point this cop is going to call in for backup and confront us.
Glad you moved
Note in every scenario I would have been hesitant to pull the gun, because in those types of situations it is just as likely to escalate the situation and get more dangerous for you as it is likely to get you out of trouble.
:banghead: