‘We have to get together’ | Community member call for working together to prevent violence after multiple violent incidents in apartment complex
‘We have to get together’ | Community member call for working together to prevent violence after multiple violent incidents in apartment complex
On Friday, someone shot two teenagers were shot in the leg in broad daylight. Early Saturday morning, someone struck another juvenile with their car, sheriff said.
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — In Warner Robins, people are still trying to make sense of a violent weekend in their neighborhood, when two teenagers were shot and another was struck with a vehicle.
It happened Friday and Saturday at the Lake Vista Apartments on Northlake Drive.
“I don’t feel safe at all,” neighbor Zahra Hendrickson said.
She said she lived in the neighborhood for about two years, and said that the recent uptick in violence scared her so much, she’s considered moving out.
“I’m not gonna be fearing everything. But at the same time, you have to be careful. Say ‘you know what, I need to go in,'” Hendrickson said.
Since this past weekend, she said she fears going outside, because going outside means risking being shot.
On Friday afternoon, Warner Robins Police said two teenagers were shot in the leg. A green Honda CRV pulled up to them, and they had a brief conversation with the teenagers before several shots were fired.
“Raise your children in a right way. So they can be good people, humble people and kind people, and love one another and help one another,” Hendrickson said. “Here, they have beef towards one another.”
Then, on Saturday, Warner Robins Police Chief Wayne Fisher said a fight broke out early in the morning between a group of young people. That lead to a girl being hit by a car.
“So it does come to a point of responsibility from the adults to pay greater attention to what their children are doing, who their children are hanging out with,” Fisher said.
He said it’s especially important for parents to monitor if their children have a gun that doesn’t belong to anyone in the family.
In the past couple months, Warner Robins Mayor LaRhonda Patrick has focused on decreasing youth violence.
That’s why the city council approved an 11:30 p.m. curfew for kids under 18 in May.
After homicides earlier in the year, Patrick also asked community organizations and leaders for help in addressing the issue.
Hendrickson said youth violence is a community problem that’s going to take everyone getting involved in finding solutions.
“We have to get together,” she said. “We have to be in the same mind and we’ve talking about the same issue.”
Fisher says that the two events on Friday and Saturday are not related. They are still looking for the people responsible for Friday’s shootings.
If anyone has any information, they are asked to reach out to Warner Robins Police Detective Brankley at 478-302-5380 or the Macon Regional Crimestoppers 1-877-68CRIME.