Violent crime concerns rise in Sacramento public housing complexes
SACRAMENTO — Concern is growing over violent crime in Sacramento's public housing complexes.
The Alder Grove and Marina Vista apartments are located south of Broadway in the Upper Land Park neighborhood and over the last few years, they've suffered a number of shootings.
On January 23, a 52-year-old man was shot and killed, marking Sacramento's first murder of the year. Just two weeks earlier, two people including a 17-year-old boy were shot.
Both violent crimes took place less than a half-mile apart in government-owned apartment complexes operated by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency.
"I'm just now waiting. When's the next time something's going to happen?" Brooke Miller-Jacobs said.
Miller-Jacobs lives across the street from where the double shooting occurred. One of the stray bullets struck her teenage daughter's bedroom.
"She ran down the stairs screaming 'something hit my window,' and that's when I immediately just called 911 and they're like 'get on the floor,' " she said.
Another round hit her neighbor's house.
Crime in these complexes is nothing new. An 18-year-old was murdered there last June, and an 8-year-old girl was shot and critically wounded one month later.
In 2022, a 7-year-old girl was killed there in a double homicide.
Miller-Jacobs and other neighbors are now asking for a better violence prevention and response plan.
"How can I look at my daughter and say we're just going to throw our hands in the air and not do anything?" Miller-Jacobs said. "I've got to do something for her. I've got to do something for the community."
Miller-Jacobs said that she no longer feels safe in her home.
"That trauma and fear, it's not OK for anyone," she said.
Her family is now thinking of moving out of the neighborhood, she said, "because if something were to happen and we were still living here, how do I forgive myself?"
The housing agency released a statement late Thursday evening saying:
"The safety and security of our residents is our top concern and we take our responsibility to provide a peaceful environment very seriously. We are very concerned about the incidents that have occurred in recent months. Residents and community members are our eyes and ears and in response to their concerns, we have increased our security patrols throughout the community. We also continue to work closely with Sacramento Police so they can effectively investigate and solve reported crimes to help residents feel safe."
The Sacramento Police Department said there have been no arrests in either of this month's shootings. It added that officers are following up on the ongoing issues and they've also been working with community organizations on crime prevention efforts.