A housing development in Avondale is just about one year old, with construction still underway on some homes. Yet the people who recently moved into their new houses tell us they were not expecting one aspect of living there: hearing gunfire nearly every night.
“It goes for quite a bit. Between 11 and one, two o'clock in the morning,” Angel Rodriguez, who lives in the area, said.
Now ABC15 is following up on these concerns brought to us by some of the neighbors. They emailed to say they are worried about safety after one house was struck by bullets.
“It's scary, there are kids in this neighborhood. This is a family neighborhood, so it is, that's a huge concern,” Daiyanna Garcia, a resident in the development, said.
This is happening in a neighborhood near El Mirage and Lower Buckeye roads, just east of the Agua Fria River bottom. Neighbors say the gunfire is coming from that direction.
Beyond the noise, Garcia now has safety concerns after a house on her block was struck with bullets last week.
“That's really concerning, and honestly, it's really scary,” she said.
Avondale police responded to the call around 10:45 p.m. last Wednesday, and officers found several bullet holes in the drywall of the house. They were unable to find anyone shooting in the area or locate surveillance video.
Police tell ABC15 several jurisdictions are involved in a major undertaking to curb these incidents stemming from the river bottom area. Between May and November, they made 282 arrests, the majority of these suspects were arrested for trespassing.
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“We want our community to know that despite geographical and jurisdictional challenges, Avondale Police continues to work toward decreasing these incidents,” Officer Daniel Benavidez, neighborhood resource officer, told ABC15 in a statement. “The Avondale Police Department understands that these issues are affecting our residents and we are committed to our community's safety.”
Avondale Police are also installing a cabling system to secure the perimeter of the area. The Avondale City Council recently dedicated funds to the project, which is similar to what is used on freeways and should be completed sometime next year.
Police are also working with property owners to post and enforce no trespassing laws, running a social media campaign, and have dedicated officers in the area equipped with drones.
“I don't got no concerns about that, to be honest with you,” Rodriguez told ABC15.
While Rodriguez is not too worried about the persistent gunfire, Garcia says she experienced what she claims was a drive-by shooting near her previous home, located in a different nearby neighborhood.
“Both houses to the sides of our house got struck by a - by a bullet, and our house didn’t, luckily,” Garcia said. “We were awake and downstairs hanging out with the family when it did happen. So you know it's scary, the thought of somebody being injured.”
The family hopes the measures being taken by police will keep everyone safe.
An email alerted ABC15 to this story, and our team is here to listen to your concerns. If there is something you want us to check out, send your ideas to share@abc15.com.
