Southeast Atlanta residents concerned after 19-year-old killed in shooting
One resident: ‘We can’t even sit in our living room without thinking a bullet is going to come through our window’
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Residents in a southeast Atlanta neighborhood are concerned after a 19-year-old woman was shot and killed late on Saturday evening.
Police responded to the 900 block of Hank Aaron Drive around 10:38 p.m. on Saturday after reports of a shooting. Officers found a victim identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office as Atlanta native Shanorria Wyche.
“I saw a young lady and then I saw her on the ground bleeding out. She was like right behind my car,” said a woman at the complex. “It’s sad. I cried all last night. I woke up this morning crying because she’s 19. She’s young. You know she has a whole life ahead of her and it’s sad to know that your life can be gone with a blink, especially when you just come to hang out with friends,” she said.
“I was just laying in the bed, and I just heard a bunch of popping noises and I thought it was firecrackers. So, I jumped up checked the window and I saw like a shootout in the parking lot,” a woman said. “I ran to check on my kids and when I checked on my kids. Once I checked on my kids, they were on the floor in the kitchen and they were all crying and everything,” she said.
“I feel sorry for her. I feel sorry for her family because that’s a great loss, it’s a tragedy and it broke my heart to see it,” the lady said.
On Sunday, Atlanta News First spoke with some residents at Capitol Vanira Apartments following the shooting. Some were afraid to go on camera, fearing for their own safety. However, after the death of this teen, some said they really want something to be done once and for all.
“We can’t even sit in our living room without thinking a bullet is going to come through our window. We just want something to happen to where it’s more controlled,” the woman said.
“I just want something to be done. I just want our neighborhood to feel like we can stay here and be safe. We have kids. Our kids walk to the bus stop to their building. They have a playground outside. They can’t even go out and be kids,” she said. “And what scares me the most is that my daughters were outside playing not long before that shooting and I had them come inside right before the shooting happened,” she said. “That’s what scares me the most, because if I wouldn’t have gone out and said it’s dark outside, it’s time to come in, they probably would’ve been at that playground,” the woman said.
This woman didn’t want to be seen on camera, fearing she would be the next target.
“The last three to four years that we have been experiencing more shootouts and gain activity in the apartments,” the woman said. “It’s been a lot of shootings over here. A lot of guys just hang out in the apartments. Guys and girls, they have little block parties in the apartments. They do videos,” she said.
According to the Atlanta Police Department’s crime zone map, it showed at least four aggravated assault cases involving a gun at this same address last year.
“We call the police sometimes. Sometimes they come. Sometimes they don’t, and the times that they do come. They don’t even approach the guys,” she said.
We’ve reached out to Atlanta Police about these concerns. However, we’re waiting on them to confirm how many times they’ve been called for incidents at the complex.
“I want them to put the guns down,” the woman exclaimed.
This is an active investigation.
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