String of drive-by shootings send bullets flying into homes, residents say

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Police in DeKalb County say crime in the area around Decatur’s East Lake Terrace neighborhood is down 13 percent, but residents say their feelings and the facts don’t match.

"Neighbors are very concerned," community crime-watch leader Chris Durham-Henderson said.

He tells FOX 5 those concerns stem from three drive-by shootings that have been reported in the neighborhood just in the last 30 days. Some of his neighbors are now considering moving out of the area completely.

"We have noticed a pattern, if you will…each time it seems like they are in the same area but then getting a little bit more violent," Durham-Henderson explained.

He says he and other neighbors who live on Daniel Avenue were awakened by the sound of bullets flying on Nov. 14 just before 5 a.m. and then days later on Nov. 17 when gunshots rang out on Rebecca Lane just after 10 p.m.

"We called 911. They had us on hold because they had received so many calls from the area," he recalled. "The bullets were going into homes, of which one ended in a neighbors couch and in their walls."

He says the most recent incident on Dec. 8 just before 5 a.m. was the most startling.

"We could hear it from our house…the Sunday evening it was over 50 rounds."

Though the stats paint one picture, Durham-Henderson says residents are seeing things from a different vantage point.

"I definitely would like to see more active patrols on the area as well as the police being able to communicate what’s going on," he said.

He tells FOX 5 they also want the shooters off the street, before innocent lives are taken. 

DeKalb County police say they have increased patrols in the neighborhood and detectives are following up on several leads in these specific incidents. If you have any information, reach out to investigators.