Neighbours shaken by Niagara Falls shooting
Siobhan Morris, 610 CKTB News
7/31/2012
People who live in the houses near the scene of a daytime shooting in Niagara Falls are worried now about the safety of their
neighbourhood.
An 18-year-old was shot once in the chest at 1:30pm Monday at the corner of St. Lawrence Ave & Simcoe St. The victim is in stable condition in Hamilton hospital. Police are looking for the suspected shooter, 23-year-old Jordan Knott. He's considered to be armed & dangerous.
Niagara Falls mayor Jim Diodati insists the downtown core is safe, but most people who live there aren't so sure.
17-year-old Adrian Napier witnessed the shooting. With Simcoe Public School just 200m away, Napier wonders what might've happened if class was on, a bullet went astray & found its way into the school yard.
Melissa lives right across from Simcoe School where 2 of her nieces are students along with Napier's little brother. She says in a neighbourhood with so many small kids, a shooting is "too close for comfort".
Melissa's boyfriend has lived in Niagara Falls his whole life. He says he's heard about a couple stabbings & beatings in the city, but never a shooting.
Melissa admits she wasn't surprised to find out there'd been a shooting in the city. She says Niagara Falls is "starting to get more & more like New York City".
A neighbourhood man likened Niagara Falls to Scarborough, the scene of a mass-shooting earlier this month, when gunfire erupted at a community BBQ killing 2 people & leaving 23 people with gunshot wounds.
At least 1 person who calls downtown Niagara Falls home isn't scared by Monday's shooting.
72-year-old Doreen says she loves to walk her dog in the core & sit outside at local cafés. She says she won't let an isolated incident intimidate her.
RELATED:
Police ID suspect in Niagara Falls shooting
Falls mayor insists downtown is safe
Shooting in Niagara Falls