Minneapolis apartment shooting has tenants wanting out of their leases
MINNEAPOLIS -- A newly constructed apartment building just south of downtown Minneapolis was supposed to be a new safe haven for one woman and her two children but a deadly triple shooting has them wanting to move.
The mother was running from gun violence in Brooklyn Park which made her and her family feel unsafe.
"I moved over here to try and get away from that and the same thing is happening," the mother said.
She is fearful of retaliation, so WCCO is protecting her identity.
She says what she experienced Sunday night has scarred her and her children for life.
"We were on our way downstairs and we ran into all of that," she said. "I saw the blood. I seen the body. I seen the bullet hole. The guy that was shot - we heard him screaming and I'll never forget that sound."
Traumatized by what she saw, she and other tenants say they approached management about getting out of their leases.
"I want to go," she said. "I don't feel safe here. My kids don't feel safe here."
She wants to know how long she has to wait and how safe is her family while decisions are being made.
She and other tenants say they believe Sunday night's shooting was not a one-and-done type of situation.
"There is no telling on when or how they are going to retaliate," she said.
Many who live at the apartment say they are stuck in a state of grief, shock and fear, and the only way to make things better is to move away from the violence.
"It's traumatizing because you don't even want to get into the shower because you're thinking, like, bullets are going to come through the walls again," she said.
Police say they believe the shooting was between two groups who may have been fighting in the past. So far, no one is in custody.
WCCO received this response from the communications representative for 1500 Nicollet:
The safety and wellbeing of our residents is our top priority. We are working with everyone living at 1500 Nicollet to provide emotional support and address any concerns they may have. On Monday, we hosted a support session for residents, and our management teams are on site this week to help address any questions or concerns.
We are also working with law enforcement to make sure our community is even more prepared for incidents like the one that occurred this past weekend. In addition to the 38 security cameras already located throughout the building, we are adding cameras to building stairwells and reinforcing our doors to further limit accessibility. 1500 Nicollet has periodic virtual monitoring of our cameras, many of which have audio capabilities enabling security to speak with the people below them. Since the incident occurred, we have also had at least one security guard on site at all times. We are encouraging residents to work together to report all suspicious activity and monitor guests to ensure the safety of all.
