<P> A drive - by shooting is a type of assault that typically involves the perpetrator firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle and then fleeing . Such shootings are often associated with gang violence in urban areas of the United States but also occur in other contexts and other countries . The tactic is also known in the media as simply a "drive - by". The primary motivations for a gang - involved drive - by include intimidation, terrorization, and assassination of rival street gang members . Drive - by shootings allow the perpetrator (s) to quickly strike their target and then flee the scene before law enforcement is able to respond . </P> <P> Numerous hip - hop artists have been targeted in drive - bys; prominent rappers who were killed in such incidents include Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Big L, and Mac Dre . </P> <P> Drug lord Griselda Blanco is credited with inventing the motorcycle ride - by killing during her years controlling the Miami cocaine trade routes in the late 1970s and early 1980s . Ironically, Blanco herself died by this method after having been shot twice in the head by a motorcyclist in a drive - by shooting in Medellín, Colombia . Drive - by shootings are also included in the Ku Klux Klan's modus operandi, and in the first decade of the 21st century, drive - by shootings were also used by militants in Iraq, including the assassinations of Waldemar Milewicz and Hatem Kamil . From the 1970s into the 21st century, the Camorra in Naples, Italy have been known for performing drive - by shootings during clan or gang wars . </P>

What to do during a drive by shooting