ATLANTA -- Atlanta police are still investigating after another shooting in the Edgewood neighborhood of Atlanta - this one ending with the death of a teen.
The APD crime stats show a long list of violent crime in the area over the last 12 months. The latest fatal shooting happened just feet away from a playground - just one of many violent crimes being investigated in the area.
Some residents say something should be done - even if that means tearing down an apartment complex linked to a notable portion of the crime.
"It's overwhelming," one resident said. "I have grandkids, six grandkids, and I'm in fear for their life."
She was reacting to another fatal shooting in the Edgewood Court Apartment complex. Less than 24 hours earlier, a teen was shot in the chest hips and arms. She said that the complex wasn't always crime-ridden. She raised her children there decades ago.
"This was a safe area back then," she said.
She said it was a place where kids could come and play - but now that's changed.
"Now we have gunshots in broad daylight," she said.
For another resident, the incident near the playground only reinforced the dangers posed to children even using it.
"You can't go to the playground back there because a lot of guys are there gambling and everything," she said.
Others who didn't want to show their faces have the same concerns and are in support of tearing the complex down and building something new - a form of gentrification seen just on the other side of the complex with a row of condominiums.
But in a widely circulated letter, a local pastor criticizes the idea stating that gentrification eliminates economic diversity and pushes poor black people out of the neighborhood.
11Alive contacted the property owners to talk about the level of crime but has not received a response.
Residents said that before anything is decided, they want police to get a better handle on crime.
APD released a statement reading, in part, that the department is "working diligently with the Hardee Street community to address crime-related concerns."
Those opposed to the idea of building something else on the property said that it's racially motivated as mentioned in the pastor's letter. 11Alive will continue to follow this issue.
