KILLEEN, TX — Shattered glass, falling dust from bullet-pierced drywall and empty bullet shells are some of the pieces of evidence a few Killeen residents have found in their homes.
It was a hot Saturday in October as Veronica Mitchell’s husband rearranged their sunroom furniture to watch football with friends. That’s when he discovered it.
“He noticed the hole. He was like, “Hey, this is a bullet hole,”” Mitchell said. “”What is?” He showed me. We looked around, found the bullet and I thought, "Oh crap… this is scary."”
They’re among a group in Killeen who share similar stories.
Stories that ran J.T. Quillin out of town.
“She grabbed the bullet that came through [the roof],” Quillin said. “It came through our roof, through our bedroom, into the wall and missed her head by about eight inches.”
Killeen PD said shots fired is a common call-in, but the bigger question is the motive.
“The why,” Jeff Donohue, the assistant chief of police at KPD said. “Why did someone shoot and why did they shoot at your location or your car? And there are so many different variables that we would be here all day to talk about that.”
Most of the time, the sound of a shot being fired is from an echo or a firework, Donohue says.
As far as the city’s crime rate goes, it's not too bad, though some may say otherwise.
“Last year, this year is some of the safest years statistically speaking that we’ve ever had,” Donohue said.
Still shaken up by the incident, Mitchell can’t help but think about the hypothetical and what her next steps are moving forward.
“If it would have been a couple inches to the right… that thing would have came straight into my house. It’s scary,” she said. “I just had a baby, and it’s just like what are we to do?”
Officials at the police department advise victims to always make sure your family is safe then immediately call 911 if you experience a crime like this. They also say any evidence you have, including video surveillance, will only help you in the investigation.
