Crystal residents shook up after gunfire breaks out near school bus
CRYSTAL, Minn. – Crystal police are looking for a gunman who opened fire in a neighborhood Wednesday where kids were getting off the school bus.
It happened near North 38th and Adair avenues. The gunshots shook up many in the neighborhood.
For 56 years, Pat and Bob Kurki have lived in the quiet neighborhood. But their peace was shattered late Wednesday afternoon.
"Round 4 o'clock I was watching the Minnesota Twins ball game and heard a 'Boom-boom-boom-boom.' Sounded like gunshots," Pat said.
She says she went to check things out.
"I went around to the back of the house out on the deck, and the neighbor gal hollered 'Gunshots! Gunshots!' And I went 'Oh my, oh my!'" Pat said.
At the same time gunshots rang out, kids were getting off a school bus.
"The school bus was carrying kids that are middle school, maybe even up to high school age," she said.
Many ran down 38th Avenue North into neighboring driveways, while some jumped over fences to get away from the gunfire.
"They blocked off our street here and they found about 10 shell casings," Pat said.
Crystal police did find a number of spent shell casings. A canvas of the neighborhood led to a description of a vehicle believed to be connected to the shooting.
"Two days in a row that was there, that car," Bob said.
Officers did find a group of older kids walking away from the area and believe they were connected to the incident. Police say they were uncooperative with their investigation.
Investigators believe this shooting is not random, but specifically targeted. People who live here say this incident is just a sign of the times.
"All over, now it's happening close to us," Bob said.
