CHARLOTTE — Some people who live and work in Plaza Midwood are worried about their safety and want something to change.
It all comes after several incidents within a matter of hours over the weekend, including a video showing a man wearing a ski mask holding a long rifle, ducking behind a car in an alley outside of Peculiar Rabbit, and shell casings found scattered along Pecan Avenue near the Bohemian.
In his two decades of work in the neighborhood, Common Market owner Blake Barnes has neve seen anything like it.
“I have seen so many things happen and this neighborhood has changed. That has never happened before. I keep thinking there is never anything new, but that is crazy town,” he said.
On Wednesday, Plaza Midwood business owners and community leaders held an emergency safety meeting to discuss the incidents.
Hours after the alley incident, shots were fired near Fuel Pizza and the Bohemian Wine Bar. Police don’t think the incidents are connected, and nobody was hurt.
However, the Plaza Midwood Merchants Association is concerned and wants more information from police.
“When something like this happens, it makes you take a step back and say, ‘Oh gosh, we live in a big city. This isn’t just our neighborhood,’” said Clifton Castelloe, Plaza Midwood Merchants Association president.
As police try to identify the people involved, business owners are hoping for a heightened law enforcement presence in the neighborhood.
“This is random. We’ve had things happen here but it is a city,” Barnes said.
“Generally I feel it is pretty safe. Just depends on when you are shopping or touring the area,” a resident said.
Channel 9 was also in the same area Saturday morning and got video of police and evidence markers near Fuel Pizza on Central Avenue. We received reports of gunshots fired in the area, but police have not yet confirmed what happened.
(WATCH BELOW: Water main break closes multiple lanes of busy Plaza Midwood road)
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