HOPEWELL, Va. -- When gunshots ringing out at The Summit apartment complex in Hopewell was the last straw for Annette Walker.
Walker says she is afraid, frustrated sand can’t help but speak out - especially because there’s no security in the complex.
Over a month ago, someone opened fire in front of her apartment, just yards away from a playground. Two vehicles in the area were also hit that night.
Hopewell police say they got the call just before 9 p.m. on August 19 - but when they got there no one from the complex wanted to share information with them.
The shooter is still at large and that makes Walker very uneasy.
“It really scared me to death. I had to end up falling to the floor because the bullets were flying so bad,” Walker said.
She had been sitting on her sofa in front of a window folding laundry just moments before the shooting. She stepped into the kitchen for a drink of water and sat down at her kitchen table.
“I thank God I had just got off the sofa because all the bullets that went through my window would have went to me,” Walker said.
Since that day, Walker says she and her neighbors have been pressing the complex to take added security measures - but to no avail. The Summit is owned by Community Housing Partners out of Christiansburg, Virginia.
Hopewell police officials tell Problem Solvers that installing security cameras was one of their recommendations to the apartment complex managers after that August shooting.
“I just hope they can step up security because there is no security here. I mean the police have started coming by more and checking out the area but to me, if they had cameras and some security, it would be better,” Walker said.
In the meantime she just hopes bullets won’t fly anywhere near her home again. She prays no one gets hurt before the owners take action.
“Can y’all please get some security to make us feel safer before somebody gets killed? A lot of kids are out here. The day of the shooting there were a lot of kids playing and they had to duck bullets. People were hitting the ground out here.. That’s how scary it was,” Walker explained.
Michael Sutphin, the Communications Manager for Community Housing Partners provided the following statement:
“Community Housing Partners is deeply concerned about the incident at The Summit. We can confirm that Ms. Walker had a bullet go through her living room window. Our Property Management staff immediately filed an incident report and replaced the window. Two other residents also had damage to their vehicles. CHP is working with the Hopewell Police Department to determine whether these residents were targeted in any way. We are also working towards providing after-hours security at The Summit. Our top priority is the safety and security of the families living at The Summit, and we will continue to work with our residents, local law enforcement, and the community to address this issue.”
Sutphin also confirmed that CHP is now in the process of gathering bids for security cameras at The Summit. Part of the security bid process, he says is finding a schedule that will assist in reducing loitering after hours. They have proposed security hours between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m.
CBS 6 News is working for you. Click here to email a tip to the CBS 6 Problem Solvers. Be sure to leave us your name, phone number and detailed description of the problem. You can also leave a message by calling 804-254-3672.
Need help? Contact the CBS 6 Problem Solvers.
