Acres Homes residents voice concern over gun violence
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Community activists and city leaders are calling for action in the Acres Homes neighborhood, following a string of shootings in the last couple of weeks.
The press conference, called by Derick Muhammed, was prompted after a stray bullet went into 63-year-old Cynthia Smith's home located off of De Priest Street.
"Can't feed the dog in the nighttime. We have to feed him early because they're shooting," said Smith.
It was the day after Christmas when a bullet came through her backyard fence and into her kitchen window, where her 11-year old granddaughter Lilian Valentine was sitting.
"I was watching TikToks like this, and the bullet just came over my head and my life flashed before my eyes," said Lilian.
Lilian, her two younger sisters, her mother and grandmother all took cover on the ground until police came.
"If I was standing up, I could have gotten shot in the head and lost my life," said Lilian.
She was among about a dozen, including her mother and grandmother, who stood with Muhammed as he vowed to work with local authorities to mitigate the crime.
"It won't go unaddressed. We will not be silent, and we're putting a notice out to every authority in the city, county, and state," Muhammed said.
The Houston Police Department has already announced a new task force to help curb the alarming number of road rage incidents that involve shootings. In 2020, 200 road rage incidents were reported.
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