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Shooting leaves a man dead, neighbors in the North Richland Hills neighborhood worried

Neighbors worried after a North Richland Hills man was shot and killed while inside his own home
Neighbors worried after a North Richland Hills man was shot and killed while inside his own home 01:46

Neighbors in one North Richland Hills neighborhood are desperate to find out why their neighbor was shot and killed inside his home the night before Thanksgiving. They say the shooting has shattered their sense of security.

"I heard a 'pop pop pop pop,' and I said,' Whoa, what was that?'" said resident Leah Wilde.

"From my understanding, somebody just drove by and shot at the house," said resident Robin Moran.

Neighbors on Stonybrooke Drive in North Richland Hills say their community is typically quiet and peaceful.

"This is a quiet, peaceful neighborhood; very little happens," said Robin Moran.

But the night before Thanksgiving, police say a man was shot and killed inside his home.

Robin Moran lives right next door.

"Police already had everything blocked off. I literally ran right into the crime scene tape, and that's when I realized it was my neighbor," said Moran.

Her neighbor, 52-year-old Brian Pence, died from his injuries at a local hospital. Neighbors say he was lying in bed when the shots pierced through the windows. His wife was in another room.

"Very friendly guy, he'd come over a couple of times and help fix my car," said Moran.  

Neighbors want to know if the shooting was random or targeted, especially since it's a community with many children.

"I kind of want to keep them close right now," said Moran, referring to her children. "I just don't know what's going on out there, where did it come from, why?"  

North Richland Hills Police won't confirm if it was in fact a drive-by shooting. But they did tell us it was an isolated incident and posed no threat to the community. But neighbors here say they're worried that the person or people responsible for murdering their neighbor is still out there.

"You can't have that false sense of security. Bad things happen everywhere; you just have to remember to be on your guard," said Moran.

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