#6
Six murders so far and we’re only in the middle of April.
My wife went to bed last night in our West Bluff home only to hear what she described as 5 or 6 9 shots fired (in a quick burst of 4 and then a burst of 5), followed by a flurry a sirens. I don’t know if they were celebratory shots fired in the air by a newly elected official or what, but this town seems to be reverting back into the freewheeling wild west town of yesteryear. I enjoy thinking about the romance of the good ‘ol days, but not that much.
Update:
Shots were fired on Bourland around 10:15 last night, injuring one man. (Bourland is intersected by Columbia Terrace, two streets east of University). Thank’s to Jennifer for the tip, whose friend’s house was hit by gunfire.
Scary stuff- thankfully it didn’t result in murder #7.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
PI,
My friend Laura lives on N. Bourland and had her house hit by gunfire last night. There was mention of it in the Journal Star today.
http://www.pjstar.com/stories/041807/POL_BCVD6T44.013.php
She heard the shots and looked outside and at first all she saw was a man running toward her house, appearing to be shooting at it. She was terrified and is now planning on selling her house. It’s sad because her house is lovely and she really likes her neighbors, but she just doesn’t feel safe now.
Jennifer
April 18th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Thanks, Jennifer, I always scan the paper before going to work, but I missed that. I’m sorry about your friend- that would have to be a truly frightening experience.
April 18th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
This is the sad news that cools off my buying a house fever. I go through spurts of being sick of apartment living, tired of the 25 min commute from North Peoria and fall in love with an adorable house in the center of the city. Then something ridiculously scary happens, that most likely would really never happen to me but it it just turns me off.
April 19th, 2007 at 11:38 am
BeanCounter,
I know exactly how you feel. I’ve been living in my apartment in Morton for almost 4 years, and I have a 25 minute commute to Pioneer Park. I would love to buy a house in Peoria and cut my drive time in half, but it just isn’t worth my safety to me. Unfortunately, as a single guy, it’s really tough to afford a house in a really nice neighborhood, so I’m stuck.
April 19th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Cory,
I joke that I just need to find 14 other people who are ready to move into Peoria so we can buy up a street. At least I would know that my neighbors would call the police and keep their yards nice. I’ll throw you on the list and keep looking for the other 13
April 19th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Ever consider West Peoria? It’s a nice community with relatively inexpensive homes, but still smack in the heart of the city.
April 20th, 2007 at 7:39 am
I hope I didn’t seem negative about Peoria in my earlier post. I was just upset about my friend.
My husband and I lived in Peoria (behind Holy Family School) for several years when our kids were young and loved it. I also agree with PI about West Peoria. When first married we lived on Sherman (off Western) and I really loved our neighborhood there, too. When my kids graduate from high school in 5-6 years we fully intend on moving back to Peoria. There are so many beautiful West Bluff homes.
Jennifer
April 20th, 2007 at 8:12 am
P.I. I don’t want to throw up an advertisement on your blog, but Bean & Cory if you are reading this: the house across the street from me is for sale. I don’t know what your price range is. I live on a little dead end street in the East Bluff. Have been here 12 years with very little incident. Lots of good people on this street, though we do seem to keep to ourselves. We are hoping for people who will maintain or improve the 80+ year old homes on this block. I don’t want to post the address here, so shoot me an e-mail at kevin@chefkevincooks.com