Shots fired into apartments while families slept inside

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By Jeff Smith

CORNELIUS, N.C.,None — Cornelius police are looking for the person who fired shots into four different apartments Thursday morning.

Officers have increased their patrols and have been interviewing residents at the Cornelius Village Apartments on Meridian Road, hoping to generate new leads.

Police said someone driving a red compact car with a loud muffler fired the shots.

All four apartments were occupied by families, and all four had sleeping children inside.

Two bullets pierced the wall of an upstairs bedroom, where Jeremy Gabriel's 11-year-old daughter was sleeping.

"This is very, very serious. I just thank God she's still alive," Gabriel said. "That was my child. But it can be anybody's child. God was with her. And I hope and pray they get the guy that did it."

One bullet hit the TV stand and put a hole through several video games. The other bullet hit the box spring of the girl's bed, about 3 inches below the mattress.

"I only have one child, and she could have been gone this morning. Gone," said the girl's mother, who asked Eyewitness News not to reveal her identity because she's afraid of more shootings.

The mother said her daughter is terrified, and they're going to stay with family members until they can find a new home.

"Tonight we're leaving," she said.

Eyewitness News saw two uniformed police officers walking around the complex Thursday night. The officers were talking to residents who were standing outside.

Two police cars were parked by the apartment complex entrance.

Cornelius police said they're taking the shootings very seriously.

"It's very scary. Someone could have easily been hurt or killed just from someone being that reckless and non-caring," said Lt David Baucom.

Police said the shooter will likely face four felony charges of shooting into an occupied dwelling.

But because of how close the bullets came to hitting people, Baucom said he plans on asking the district attorney to consider the more serious charge of assault with a deadly weapon.