Beacon Heights neighbors want change to stop violence
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Three shootings in South Bend, within hours of each other. Two of them within a block of each other.
Both happened on Friday in the Beacon Heights Apartment Complex.
The neighborhood is filled with children and also right across the street from Success Academy.
"I was cleaning my room and the next thing I know, I heard a pop," says one neighbor, who preferred to go unnamed. "I heard people screaming. And then I heard the polcie pull up."
"We heard a loud pop," says another neighbor, Azhia Minies. "You'll never get used to someone getting hurt or dying, it's always going to be hard."
A community is wounded after two back to back shootings, within just a few hours of each other.
One shooting happened early Friday afternoon, and the other happened just before midnight.
"When I looked out of my window, I saw the guy holding his harm," says the unnamed neighbor.
On Monday, there was nothing left of the scene, except a small remnant of police tape.
The tape serves as a small spotlight of the struggles plaguing these streets in South Bend.
"I need to get out. I need to get out of here,. It's pretty bad," says Rosita Rios "Every day it's something new."
Rios says she won't even let her kids play outside, because she's scared of what may happen.
"If I do hear certain noises or a gun going off, I'll check on them because I'm afraid," she says. "What happens if a bullet flies through the window? What happens if it hits one of them? It's very scary.
All neighbors were in full agreement that enough is enough.
"I'm definitely scared of the violence. Of course. I have two little ones who live out here," says one neighbor.
"I feel like it's really sad that we've come to this point where we're killing each other for no reason," says Minies.
And now, they want change in a multitude of ways.
"I wish we could have some youth counselors who could come out here and talk to these kids," says Minies.
Rios says, she wants a more police presence to protect the people.