SCOTT, LAFAYETTE PARISH, La. (KLFY) — Bullets being fired in the air are causing problems in two communities. Now, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office (LPSO) and Scott Police Department are teaming up to curb the crime.
One man was arrested Monday for the illegal discharge of a firearm near the 100 block of Dorchester Street. According to LPSO Cpt. John Mowell, the increased crime in the Ill Des Cannes area is affecting surrounding neighborhoods.
“They be happening at one, two o’clock in the night. You don’t know where they’re coming from,” explained Laura Allison, who lives in one of the Ill de Cannes Apartments. She says that around the 100 apartment buildings gunfire has been growing since the holidays.
She added most of the rounds are fired into the air. “You just pray that it never lands in nobody’s house and hurt no one,” Allison said.
The bullets haven’t hit anyone yet, but they’ve come close. LPSO says people in a neighboring community have reported bullets in their pool.
“That’s a prime example of what we’re talking about. People firing weapons in the air. Those rounds can go anywhere in any direction and put anybody’s life in jeopardy,” said LPSO Public Information Officer Capt. John Mowell.
“It’s a very real fear for me you know when my kids are outside, to hear a gunshot,” admitted a woman who nearby Ill Des Cannes in Scott’s Emerald Garden. She has heard a shooting a week since Christmas and lately two shootings a week.
“It just doesn’t make any sense,” she said. “It’s a recipe for disaster.”
To prevent a disaster, Scott Police and LPSO are allocating additional resources to the area. Most recently, the effort resulted in the Monday arrest of Deontae Smith who admitted to illegal discharge of a firearm.
“We’re definitely asking anybody in the public if they’re in this area if they hear gunshots, keep your eyes open, call 911,” Mowell urged.
Allison said, “It makes me feel good that they’re checking up on us.”
The resident of Emerald Gardens said, “Hopefully this one arrest will stop it.”
Residents in the area who see or hear weapons being discharged are urged to report any and all information to local law enforcement by calling 911.