Residents reach breaking point after Auburn apartment complex sees five shootings in five days

AUBURN, Wash. — One shooting after another is rocking a single apartment complex in Auburn. The most recent shooting at the Copper Gate Apartments happened Tuesday night around 10:30 p.m. that left a man in critical condition.

Auburn police say there have been five shootings there since Friday.

“There are a lot of moving parts and our detectives are working extremely hard,” said Kolby Crossley, with the Auburn Police Department.

Crossley said in the most recent shooting, multiple people were involved and three stolen cars were recovered from the complex.

“This last weekend was just the breaking point for all of us,” said Kirstie Syth, a resident at the apartments. “It’s just been nonstop, one after another, multiple times a day.”

Police say the first four shootings damaged property.

“People that have bullets in their cars, tires, through their rooms - like the living areas,” Syth said.

But in the case Tuesday night, a man was shot and rushed to Harborview in critical condition. First responders found the shooting victim inside a stolen car, which had crashed into a garage.

The string of shootings comes after a deadly shooting on January 12, where a man was killed at the Copper Gate Apartments.

“It’s very, very stressful to be even coming home,” Syth said. She said she’s afraid to take her seven-year-old daughter to the amenities on the property. “It’s like do I risk mine or her life to go to the park or the pool anymore?” she said.

Another resident and mother were too scared to be on camera. She said bullets were flying into her building during Tuesday’s shooting.

“They (the victim) was shot on the head,” the resident said. “When we heard the shots, we all just go on the ground.”

She says the complex has been plagued with so much gun violence, she won’t have her kids stay there anymore.

“Two of them I send to Canada with my family friends. Because it’s not safe,” she said.

The resident said plans to move as well.

Crossley with the Auburn PD says detectives are investigating whether the five shootings in as many days are connected.

“That’s got to be unusual for so many shootings to happen at one complex,” said KIRO 7′s Deedee Sun.

“It is, it’s alarming and it’s something we’re looking into and taking seriously. Why are there so many shootings at this one place and why they’ve happened so frequently in just the past few days,” Crossley said.

As police investigate, residents said they are hoping for security improvements at the apartment complex. For example, some people said they were hoping to see a security gate to access the property – something that residents have been expecting.

KIRO 7 reached out to Copper Gate Apartments by email and phone but did not hear back on Wednesday.

Auburn police are asking for anyone with video or photos of what happened during the shootings to contact them at the tip line at 253-288-7403.

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