AUSTIN, Texas — Neighbors in northeast Austin are calling for more police to patrol their street after four drive-by shootings damaged multiple homes in less than two weeks.
After 30 years of living on Tuffit Lane, Joe Ayers said he went from leaving his door open to keeping his gun close.
"It's intensified badly," Ayers said.
Ayers said for the past year, shootings have been normal. But over the last two weeks, they've been more frequent and dangerous.
His surveillance cameras caught most of the recent overnight shootings in the Copperfield neighborhood in northeast Austin. A video from April 20 shows at least 10 rounds fired.
A neighbor who didn't want to talk on camera said six of those bullets went into multiple rooms in his home. In the photos he sent KVUE, you can see bullet holes in his walls, a window, a car and computer screens.
"We're scared," Ayers said. "We are very scared for our lives."
Worried, other neighbors trickled out of their homes to voice their concerns.
"Multiple times I've been on the phone with 911 or on hold with 911 while on the ground next to the bed, just hearing gunshots going off around us," Cameron Garland said.
After the shooting on April 20, neighbors said two more shootings happened a few days later, on April 24 and April 25, with what they believe to be the targeted home getting shot up.
The latest happened early Monday morning, which left another home just two doors down from Ayers' riddled with bullet holes.
"Fifteen holes in her house," Ayers said.
Within hours, Ayers said she packed up and left.
"She moved out," Ayers said. "I mean, packed her bags and left."
Neighbors said Austin police always show up, but they need someone patrolling the street.
"If they would just stick an undercover cop here on the street for four nights, they would catch him," Garland said. "I mean, it's so frequent now."
"Anything that we can get to help," Ayers said.
So far, there have not been any injuries – but neighbors said time could change that.
KVUE reached out to the Austin Police Department. The department's public information officer said APD is working to get us information.
We also contacted Councilmember Natasha Madison-Harper about what's being done to prevent this in her district.