Target 11 Exclusive: South Side resident says he’s moving out after latest shooting at his door step
A South Side resident told Target 11 Investigator Rick Earle that he’s had enough, and he’s now looking to move out of the South Side. The resident agreed to talk to Channel 11 News as long as we didn’t reveal his identity. He told Earle that he moved into the South Side because of the convenience and the number of shops, bars and restaurants within walking distance, but he said that the latest shooting that wounded three women was too close for comfort.
It happened near his apartment, and he said he was forced to take cover after a bullet flew by.
He said he heard the commotion early Saturday morning and looked out his window.
“I noticed a couple individuals kind of in the middle of the road, and I saw (a) muzzle flash and hear a bullet literally whizz by me. At that point, I was like, ‘all right, I’m going to get my head out of the window,’ and I just heard shots going back and forth. I think they said there was about 22, kind of sustained fire for about five or six seconds,” said the South Side resident.
A surveillance camera nearby captured the sound of the gunfire and several people screaming. Channel 11 obtained a copy of that surveillance video.
The resident told Earle he loved living on the South Side and he said he didn’t have any issues until this year. There have been multiple shootings along East Carson Street during the past several months.
“I live here because it’s a great area to hang out and enjoy time with people. Unfortunately with what’s happening, I feel like no one feels safe,” he said.
After two shootings earlier this month, the Fudge Farm on East Carson Street said it would close for good because of the uptick in violence.
The resident who spoke exclusively with Earle said he’s not staying either.
“I’ve kind of been holding out, but at this point I can’t really hold out much longer, when the violence is literally outside my window and I hear bullets whizzing past,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Ed Gainey, who made a late-night visit to the area earlier this month and also held a town hall meeting about the violence, said he’s committed to stopping the violence.
“We got to keep working it. We’ll go back and look and see what happened, improvise. Like I say, it’s not going to happen overnight,. but you have seen us start to get some of these violent offenders off the streets. So we’re working. It just takes time,” said Gainey.
The resident said he attended the town hall meeting on violence, but didn’t hear many solutions. He said he’s not happy with the city’s response to the uptick in violence in his neighborhood.
“I went to the meeting. It felt like a lot of grandstanding ... I don’t know what the solution is, but something has to change. A few weeks ago, the mayor was down here with armed security and SWAT teams all over the place. Obviously that’s not sustainable, but something has to be done, because just a couple weeks ago we had that meeting, and we’ve already had, I think, an even worse shooting because three people got shot,” said the resident.
In the latest shooting over the weekend, three women suffered gunshot wounds. Police said an altercation may have sparked the shooting. No arrests have been announced.
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