ATLANTA — Bullets in bedrooms, mold, and car break-ins and thefts are just some of the problems plaguing people who live at the LaFrance Square Luxury Townhome Apartments on Arizona Avenue in the Edgewood neighborhood of Atlanta.
“There were bullet holes on the side, up where my bedroom is, where my living room is, where my bathroom is,” said former resident, Diane Egede-Nissen.
Egede-Nissen said in the early morning of February 3, she woke up to a car alarm going off outside of her bedroom window. She said then she started hearing gunshots. Later that morning, she said she and her neighbors saw several of their homes had been riddled with bullets.
“We literally dove on the floor, like dove on the floor, it was just a really horrifying experience, to pay so much money for a place like this, then to have to experience that,” said resident Tamyka Robinson.
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Neighbors said they pay around $4000 a month, and that shooting was not the first one in the complex. They told Channel 2′s Eryn Rogers there had been three shootings in the past year.
However, they have also had issues with mold, car thefts, and car break-ins.
“My wife and I feel unsafe around here, so we had to move as soon as possible,” said resident Cong Nguyen. “Our lives are more important.”
Nguyen said bullets from one of the first shootings in the complex came through his unit. He said a bullet hit right above where his cats eat, and another hit the wall in his guest bedroom.
However, he said it was the shooting on the third that was his last straw. He and his wife have had to pay nearly $10,000 to break their lease. He said they had to pay two months’ rent, plus their security deposit.
That cost does not include what he had to pay movers and the first month’s rent at his new apartment.
Other neighbors said they should not have to pay extra. They want to be able to break their lease without a penalty and to get their security deposit back since they said the complex did not protect them.
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“When I initially signed the contract, it was a luxury apartment, obviously that has changed,” said resident Samuel Mitchell.
Rogers reached out to Cushman and Wakefield which is the company that owns the complex. The PR person responded to her calls and email with a text asking,“how can I help you?”
However, he stopped responding after his initial text. Management on the property would also not answer how they plan to address the security concerns.
Instead, management called the police on Rogers, who was invited on property by the residents.
Since the police were there, Rogers asked them to explain why the Atlanta Police Department Crime Map categorized the February 3 shooting as destruction to property with no gun, when there were visible bullet holes near people’s bedrooms.
The lieutenant said the shooting was not categorized correctly and immediately made sure the case was assigned to the correct division. He also called detectives who took the residents’ statements.
“It’s sad that it took this long,” said Egede-Nissen. “It’s sad for the news to get involved for this to happen.”
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Neighbors said they are thankful police stepped in; however, they said they still need management to step up.
“Let us sleep easy at night,” said resident Amir Khan. “Nobody is sleeping easy here.”
Neighbors said they have asked for a gate, security cameras, better lighting, and more police.
The police who responded Thursday said they will be adding more patrols to the area immediately.
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