My experience has been many non-professionals tend to freeze in place and look towards the disturbance instead of hitting the dirt or getting out of the way. It passes quickly, but not quickly enough…AEA wrote: Hopefully everyone would have already been down after that first shot.
I would not recommend assuming the non-combatants will immediately get out of the way or hit the dirt.
TXI:
Did your friend mention what the folks in the store did?