East Windsor resident Scott Gillen never thought he’d have to worry about gunplay in his neighbourhood — until his house was hit by a bullet this past weekend.
“It’s disconcerting, you know what I mean?” said Gillen, who lives in the 200 block of Belleview Avenue. “What if someone was up and just walking by a window?”
Gillen’s home was one of two residences struck by gunfire during the early morning hours on March 22.
One round put a hole through Gillen’s front picture window — which leads to the play area of his two-year-old girl.
Gillen said he’s fortunate no one was hurt. His wife and child were out of the city at the time, and he was asleep in another room.
“It’s a golf ball-sized hole,” said Gillen, a 42-year-old disposal services worker. “Any other time during the day — it could be quite concerning. I’d hate to get that call at work: Your wife or your daughter has been shot.’”
Windsor police now believe two firearms were used in the incident. Officers found .22-calibre shell casings at the scene.
Investigators who were still checking out Belleview Avenue on Monday said there is evidence of shotgun damage to another property.
Besides Gillen’s house, a vacant home a little further south on the street was also hit.
Also struck was an automobile. Windsor police were first notified about the shooting on Saturday evening when the vehicle owner was washing the car and discovered a bullet hole in a fender.
Further investigation led to accounts from residents about popping noises being heard between 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m.
“I didn’t think nothing of it,” Gillen said. “It just sounded like some firecrackers going off … Pop-pop-pop.”
“It woke me up out of sleep, but no — I didn’t check it.”
Another resident told police she saw a dark-coloured vehicle speed away from the area immediately after the shots.
There were also reports of a group of about 10 young people emerging from the back of a residence on Belleview Avenue.
“It’s a very big concern to us,” said Windsor police spokesman Sgt. Matt D’Asti. “Anytime firearms are used, it’s a potentially fatal situation, obviously.”
This is only the latest occurrence of guns being fired wildly in a Windsor neighbourhood.
On Dec. 27, around 3:15 a.m., shots were heard and shell casings were found at Rooney Street and McKay Avenue.
In the early morning hours of Jan. 21, a car was struck by bullets in the 800 block of Randolph Avenue.
And just after 1 a.m. on Jan. 28, a surveillance camera captured someone firing a gun from a moving vehicle on Elmere Avenue at Niagara Street.
Gillen said he and other residents have grown concerned about a duplex rental property at the corner of Belleview Avenue and Wyandotte Street East — Specifically, the upper unit.
“I’ve seen kids walking in and out of that house, constantly,” Gillen said. “I used to know the tenants, way back in the day. But it’s had several new tenants since then.”
“I’ve been here for a decade, and there was nothing ever like this (shooting) in the neighbourhood,” he added.
The incident is being investigated by the Windsor police major crimes unit. Anyone with information about it is encouraged to contact detectives at 519-255-6700 ext. 4830.
Anonymous tips can be given via Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477.
The Windsor police community services division invites all concerned citizens to attend a Neighbourhood Watch meeting on Saturday, March 29 — 2 p.m. at St. Mark’s Anglican Church, 1636 Tecumseh Rd. West.
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