No injuries reported in shooting at Denton Forum apartment
Jynn Schubert | Staff Writer
Residents of the Forum at Denton Station apartments were startled Tuesday night as four gunshots were fired into the window of apartment 4112. Nobody was injured, and there are no suspects or victims according to Denton police.
For weeks, some residents in the neighboring building, No. 5, reported aggressive behavior from nearby apartment 5303, but staff at the Forum did not respond, residents Emery Moody and Fernada Velasco said.
Moody said she heard what sounded like somebody falling down the stairs from the apartment Tuesday night.
“I couldn’t see anybody going down the stairs, so they must have hugged the side,” Moody, who can see the stairs from her door, said. “After it happened, I got up and you could hear the stairs rattling.”
No one from the Forum would comment for this article, and the media relations staff could not be reached in time for publication.
Several residents have reported their trash being smashed, broken glass being left behind and having people knock on their doors looking for apartment 5303.
“That’s never been passed on to me,” courtesy officer Marcus Coulter said.
The Forum, aside from hiring Coulter, has a security guard service hired to walk around and patrol the area.
“They do the building checks, and their main function is to observe and report,” Coulter said. “They’re a contracted security service. They’re not peace officers in any way.”
Their efforts have not been enough to stop the aggressive behavior in the building, Moody and Velasco said.
“We told them last week that we demanded more security here, we called the management, and they never did anything,” Moody said. “They never got back to us.”
According to Moody, there had also been a break-in at the apartment below hers, and several complaints made to management about marijuana use causing the building to smell like weed.
“The Forum has not contacted anybody to tell us about [the break-in],” Moody said. “We only learned about it when the people below us told us about it. The Forum never contacted any of us, and they never told [Coulter].”
Moody is not the only resident to complain about the lack of response from the Forum’s management.
“I’ve called several times, late at night,” Velasco said. “I tell them this is happening, and it’s creepy, and they never called back.”
The Forum sent out a statement Wednesday regarding the shooting, encouraging residents to take extra safety precautions such as not walking alone and getting to know their neighbors. The email also encouraged residents to reach out if they see any suspicious behavior.
“This is an unfortunate reminder that crime can happen anywhere and at any time,” Samantha Noel, community manager of the Forum, said in the email. “Furthermore, we would like to take this opportunity to remind you, your family, occupants and visitors to be as cautious as possible with respect to your property and your surroundings.”
Featured Image: Bullet holes in a window at the Forum apartment complex. Jynn Schubert | Staff Writer
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