"Shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 10, officers the man in the 1900 block of Wilson Court, according to Liz Wylie, a public information officer with the Mountain View Police Department."

Didja want a verb in there somewhere?

Why wasn't this idiot arrested? Are you saying we can wander around with BB guns plinking at anything that looks like it might be fun to shoot?

Mountain View Municipal Code:
SEC. 21.13. - Discharge of firearms, etc.ÑProhibited; exceptions.

No person shall discharge within the city any cannon, anvil or firearm of any kind, or any air gun or other instrument which throws or projects bullets or missiles of any kind, to any distance, by means of the elastic force of air or any explosive substance, and no person shall make, use or have in his possession within the city any sling shot or other instrument or device by which missiles of any kind may be hurled or projected, or to use same in any manner to the danger of the injury of any property.

Nothing in this section shall prohibit any person from discharging a weapon, firearm or instrument which throws or projects bullets or missiles of any kind under the following circumstances:

1.
The lawful use of force by peace officers or soldiers in the performance of their official duties;
2.
Reasonable self-defense or defense of another person as permitted by law;
3.
The discharge of weapons at a shooting range in the city for which all necessary licenses, permits and approvals have been obtained, when the shooting range is operated in accordance with law;
4.
The firing of air guns, such as BB guns or pellet guns, when fired indoors for marksmanship training under adult supervision when there is no danger to others;
5.
The shooting of arrows for marksmanship training under adult supervision when there is no danger to others, so long as such shooting does not include hunting arrows or crossbows;

I hate birds just as much as the next guy, but what kind of an a$$ carries a bb gun and shoots in the wide open less than 2 blocks away from a high school and an elementary school? This self-absorbed jerk had a whole neighborhood scared to death when the police closed down the block to find out what was going on. Maybe you can THINK TWICE before you go outside and start shooting a gun.

Believe it or not, but the MVPD does not know a lot about the municipal code. I had to educate them once when they refused to ticket a commercial truck from continually parking overnight in a residential neighborhood. The line I always got was that they were too busy fighting crime down in the barrio on California Ave.

Either get a dog or use a hose. That will keep the birds away. Please don't use the BB gun in a residential area.

While we're on the subject of animals, any suggestions for keeping pesty squirrels and black crows away? They've been destroying my lawn and plants.

Why are you living where the squirrels and crows have lived for centuries? It's their home, not yours. Mexico only had this area for 27 years, but everybody pretty much agrees that Mexicans (regardless of immigration status) belong here.

Those crows and squirrels belong here. Feed them and they might be nicer to you.

Maybe if you vote for Mitt Romney, the Mormon God will send WHITE crows your way.

Could this be the mysterious shooter in the orange vest who was supposedly shooting at cars on 237? I agree that an arrest should gave been made. This is populated city not the Ozarks.

Unreal that the police thought there was no law violated. Depending on the species and weather or not they are migratory, there likely could have been federal offenses taking place. Maybe they're concentrating on stopping burglaries from happening...and then again maybe not.
I wish our cops knew as much about the offenses committed as the general population apparently does.
Do we need a shake-up in the police dept? Seems like things are really slacking there lately.

The crows and squirrels are here in such great numbers specifically because people feed them. They've always been around, but not nearly in the numbers we see today simply because of the increased food sources from people.
Don't know about the crows, but a rat zapper works to kill squirrels. They sell them at Tru-Value. Bait it with peanuts.

I had to call the MVPD once to stop my next door neighbor from shooting his air rifle towards his fence that bordered on the street, and they put a stop to that in a hurry. It just seems that education in the municipal code is not a requirement for job placement in the MVPD, only an option, because some seem to know it, and some don't.