The Hinesville Police Department is stepping up patrols and also urging residents not to leave weapons in unlocked cars, in the wake of recent shootings.
One juvenile has been arrested for a shooting incident and another is a suspect in another. How they are getting those guns is an issue, too, Police Chief Tracey Howard said.
“I can assure the city is doing everything possible,” he said. “We have increased patrols. We have made several arrests. It is very young, juvenile offenders. A lot of has to do with weapons being in the hands of children and those weapons being illegally obtained.”
Chief Howard said a suspected shooter in an incident Monday night at Harbor Rain apartments has been identified but has not been apprehended. Officers responded to a call on a potential gunshot wound and found a 23-year-old woman who had been hit in the chest. The victim was taken into surgery Tuesday morning, Chief Howard said, but did not have any more information on her condition.
Howard said he did not know what the relationship between the victim and the suspect, who is 15, was.
“What we believe is there may have been a confrontation between the shooter and the victim and it escalated to the point where the juvenile fired a warning shot right before firing at the 23-year-old female he struck,” he said. “We’re still putting the pieces together. There may have been some banter between the 23-year-old and other teenagers.”
The juvenile suspect has been cooperative, Howard said, and the HPD has not determined what charges will be filed against him. The weapon used also has been recovered.
Where the shooting took place, a gazebo at the apartment complex, is a popular gathering spot for teenagers, Howard noted. He also did not know if the suspect or the victim lived at the complex.
“There are a lot of good people who reside in Harbor Rain,” he said. “A lot of the crime is outsiders who come to Harbor Rain.”
Monday night’s shooting follows two incidents that took place Thursday, one at Darsey Road near the Eagle Apartments and another at Forest Lake Drive.
Multiple 911 calls were received from Forest Lake Drive residents who reported hearing multiple gunshots and seeing several male subjects fleeing the area, with at least one individual observed holding a handgun. During the incident, a residence in the area was struck by gunfire.
Officers from the Patrol Division, Crime Suppression Unit, Narcotics Unit, and Criminal Investigations Division quickly arrived on scene. They immediately began canvassing the area, speaking with witnesses, processing the crime scene, and collecting evidence.
During the investigation, a person of interest was identified. Officers located and detained the individual, who was determined to be a 14-year-old juvenile. Following protocol, the Department of Juvenile Justice was contacted, briefed on the incident, and directed that the juvenile be detained and transported to a regional detention facility.
Several cars were damaged in the shooting on Darsey Road but no injuries were reported.
The shots were fired shortly after 3:30 p.m. at the entrance to Eagle apartments on Darsey Road.
Chief Howard said the assailant appeared to be firing at a group of people outside the complex’s entrance. Howard said several vehicles sustained bullet holes.
The HPD has had a number of entering auto incidents and there have been weapons stolen from those vehicles. Recent arrests indicate juveniles stealing those guns are selling them to other juveniles, Howard said, and he urged residents to take any unsecured weapons out of their vehicles and into their houses and to lock their vehicles.
“If we can stop guns from being stolen out of vehicles, then we will drastically impact the number of guns going out on the street and being possessed by these young people,” he said.