Bullets pierce homes in Laveen neighborhood: 'One of the worst feelings'
PHOENIX - The River Walk Estates neighborhood in Laveen had multiple homes struck by gunfire on Friday night.
Some residents believe it’s possible the shooter, or shooters, was never in the community to begin with, and that people are recklessly shooting their guns into the rocks that back up to a retaining wall.
Residents say those possible shooters aren't thinking about what's on the other side.
"You always hear about it. You hear about it everywhere. You never think that's going to happen to you until it does," Pete Hrones said.
The Hrones family was awoken by gunfire on the evening of May 3 just before 9:30 p.m. Their five-year-old daughter was asleep in the other room.
"I immediately went into her room, locked the door, and was on the phone to call 911," Jennifer Hrones said.
That’s when the glass shattered from a sliding door, setting off panic for the parents.
"The first immediate thought is somebody tried to break in," Pete Hrones said.
The Phoenix Police Department arrived at the Hrones' home in less than five minutes and cleared the house.
It wasn’t someone breaking in – it was a stray bullet.
"Come in to see a bullet that is quite literally where my daughter sits to build things and then have it go right into our wall where we walk back and forth. It only takes that little second," Pete said.
They believe the bullet came from outside the community, ricocheting into their backyard, through their glass door, and even through their dining table.
The bullet is now stuck in the dry wall of their kitchen.
"It's one of the worst feelings I've ever felt in my whole life," Pete said.
His wife agrees.
"Extremely surreal," she said. "I don't feel safe."
The bullet passed through one of their most active areas in their home and the places their daughter plays the most.
Like many other families in the neighborhood, the gunfire rattling off from the dirt lot feels too close to home.
"We're on high alert. Any time we hear a noise, any time we hear a firework, any time we hear anything at night, it's immediately like, 'OK, bracing ourselves, like, what's going to happen next?'" Jennifer said.
The Hrones family suggests building up the retaining wall to protect residents from the bullets flying over it.