OPD investigating daytime shooting
Aug. 24—A shooting Monday afternoon at a Plum Street apartment complex sent residents scrambling, although city police officers could not find anyone who had been injured in the incident.
The incident occurred at 1:08 p.m. at Greentree Apartments, 722 Plum St. Officer Andrew Boggess, public information officer for the Owensboro Police Department, said officers responded to a call of shots fired at the apartment complex, but the officers couldn't locate anyone with injuries or any damage to property.
"We have a witness that said somebody was shooting at somebody else," Boggess said.
A shell casing was recovered, Boggess said.
Responding officers fanned out looking for evidence, and an OPD K-9 was brought out to track. Boggess said the investigators were unsure how many people were involved in the incident.
"We are not even sure at this point if there was one individual or more than one," Boggess said.
Residents who saw the incident declined to give their names. A witness said she was outside her home at the apartment complex when she saw two young men she described as teenagers run by.
"They dashed across the pavement" of the parking lot, the witness said. One of the men, who was armed, "turned this way, and I dashed inside my house quickly."
A man, who also declined to be identified, said he was sitting in his yard behind the apartment complex with a friend when he saw an SUV pass along Plum Street.
"They pulled up out of sight," he said. He then said he saw three or four young men coming around the corner from the location of the SUV.
"Somebody started screaming, 'they are going to start shooting.' The next thing you know, they opened fire," the man said. "Nobody had no questions. Nobody had no words."
The witness, who said he had his 2-year-old granddaughter outside, said someone pulled her inside his apartment. He said he fell while running away, then got up and ran into his apartment.
"I hit the floor and told (my wife) to check if I'd got shot," he said.
Monday wasn't the first shooting incident since the family moved to the apartment complex, the man said.
"To look at this neighborhood, it looks so nice." he said. "To have all this drama going on is really bad."
Investigators are seeking any surveillance camera footage of the incident, Boggess said.
Anyone with information about the shooting can call OPD at 270-687-8888. Anonymous tips can also be given to Owensboro Crime Stoppers at 270-687-8484.
James Mayse, 270-691-7303, jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @JamesMayse
James Mayse, 270-691-7303, jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @JamesMayse
