CHARLOTTE — Three deadly shootings in University City have residents concerned for their safety.
Just last weekend, Channel 9′s veteran crime reporter, Glenn Counts, headed to the University Pointe Shopping Center near Ikea Boulevard where one person was shot and killed during an apparent argument in the parking lot.
On Saturday, Counts returned to University City to speak with residents about the changes they hope to see.
Hannah Rawlings, a mother, brought her daughters back to the University Pointe Shopping Center, and while she said she’s not afraid, she does have her guard up.
“For the most part, I feel safe, you know, in the area, but for something like that to happen in just a moment, just a blink of an eye, it kind of makes you more aware,” Rawlings told Counts.
Earlier this week, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s University Division released recent crime stats. Overall violent crime in the area is down by three percent, including murders. At this time last year, there were seven murders, compared to the four right now.
Officers say they have seized more than 50 firearms and made about 360 arrests.
Quan Nguyen and Michael Zhang are students at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who told Counts they’ve been aware of crime in the area for a while now.
“We live off campus a couple of minutes down the road,” Nguyen said. “We’ve heard about a lot of violent crimes in the area.”
Along with the drop in murders, there has also been a six-percent drop in robberies and a two-percent drop in aggravated assaults, according to CMPD.
(WATCH BELOW: 1 dead after shooting in Rock Hill, coroner says)
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