DES MOINES, Iowa — One day after three teens were shot in Des Moines, neighbors said they are on edge.
“It’s getting dangerous around here and we’ve got to do something about it,” one Des Moines woman said. "I don't feel safe going outside because you don't know if your house is going to get hit."
The woman, who lives a couple of blocks away from where police say two teens were shot in a driveway Wednesday night, didn’t feel comfortable giving her identity.
Des Moines Sgt. Paul Parizek said they believe the 18- and 16-year-olds were the intended targets.
Parizek said in the past few years, there have been more and more teens involved in gun violence in the city of Des Moines.
“Younger kids, for some reason, are getting their hands-on guns a lot more than they had in the past,” Parizek said. “Teens tend to be reckless; they tend to not think of the consequences of their actions and, unfortunately, when you put a firearm in someone’s hand, that could be deadly.”
So how do we stop this?
Parizek said everyone needs to pitch in.
“When it comes to the prevention, that’s a community-wide response,” Parizek said. “We need our social services agencies helping out. We need parents to be engaged with their kids.”
But that change will take time. Time the woman Local 5 spoke with earlier said she isn’t willing to wait for.
“We’re trying to look for at least an apartment somewhere out of this neighborhood because of how dangerous it’s getting over here,” the woman who lives blocks away from Wednesday’s shooting said.