By: Tom Duggan – Dec. 30, 2017
In the -3 degree cold early Saturday morning, Lawrence Police raced to 34 Springfield Street responding to a call of “shots fired”.
The caller stated that they heard five shots in the area near Parker Street “no vehicle description” the dispatcher said, revealing that it was a drive-by shooting.
Detectives and uniformed officers scoured the snow and slush covered street and sidewalk with their flashlights looking for evidence, as witnesses and neighbors came out in the bitter cold to observe.
“How many shots?” One officer asked to confirm with dispatch.
“That’s five shots, that ‘s what she said”
“OK make that six shots, I have six shell casings here,” one officer reported.
The victim, who was shot at but not struck, told police the shooter(s) were in a 2010 red Honda Accord.
As police were searching for more bullet casings another call came in for an auto accident just a few feet down the street involving a Honda Accord.
There, police found a red car had crashed into a multiple family dwelling.
The driver and passengers had fled on foot before police arrived.
Within seconds of finding the car, police reported the smell of gas, finding the car had hit a gas meter outside the building. “We’ve got a gas leak over here, we are going to need the gas company” one officer reported.
[youtube https://youtu.be/v7gE3cCysWY&h=280&w=380]
Within seconds, the gas company and the Lawrence Fire Department were called in, as officers started banging on doors to the house to get people out as quickly as they could, the smell of gas permeating the area.
Police also evacuated a neighboring building and called the Red Cross to help displaced tenants in both buildings. One parked car was hit with a bullet on the drivers side door. Police also put out a BOLO (Be on the lookout) for a Gray Honda Accord they believe was also involved in the incident and warned for officer safety that there was a confirmed weapon in the car.
Witnesses told the Valley Patriot at the scene that red Honda was involved in the drive-by shooting and crashed within seconds of taking the shots.
Police searched the front seat of the car as other officers continued to bang on doors to evacuate the area.
Springfield Street in Lawrence is marked gang territory in the South Lawrence East section of the city.
Most witnesses refused to cooperate with police but the few who spoke to The Valley Patriot at the scene say they believe it was a retaliation shooting from another incident that occurred last week.
The Valley Patriot will update this story as more information becomes available.