Bullet holes on apartment door describe family's safety fears

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A mother is concerned for her family's safety after her apartment was shot at twice in less than two weeks, leaving behind 18 bullet holes.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, has lived with her family is the same apartment at the Cullen Park Apartments, 4700 Wenda, for two years. She says she's never had any problems until January 4 when two bullets came flying through a back window. Those gunshots scared them, but now they are terrified. They count 16 bullet holes from a shooting Monday night.

"I can't live like this," the 50-year-old mother said.

The bullets pierced food containers, walls, and left two large holes in the front door. They barely missed her as she sat just a foot away from the front door braiding her niece's hair.

"They was aiming to kill somebody," she added.

It was after 10pm. The 2-year-old twins were asleep in a bedroom, but her 9-year-old son was on the couch. Someone must have walked up fairly close to the front door and fired. One of the bullets grazed her hand, leaving a big gash, she said.

Somehow no one was seriously hurt. Her brother, Ervin Fontenot, is frustrated by the level of security at the apartment complex where the gates remain wide open, and also by Houston police response.

"That's too close; she could have gotten up and been hit in the head and then be dead," Fontenot told Eyewitness News.

The woman says she doesn't know who would be shooting at their apartment. She doesn't feel safe and is leaving.

"I'm not going to stay here because I'm not to jeopardize my kids life. I'm not going to do it," she said.

A manager at the apartment complex said their residents are their prime concern. HPD classified the first shooting as criminal mischief since no one was hurt. The latest shooting will eventually be assigned to a detective. An officer did collect shell casings as evidence.