Shooting Boosts Push for Community Association in Chapelgate

The latest incident of violence in the Chapelgate has bolstered efforts to create a formal community association in the neighborhood. 

Police officials also said they supported recent efforts to form a community group, so that residents could speak as a single voice in addressing concerns. 

During a meeting of about 200 residents at Waugh Chapel Elementary School on Thursday, Chapelgate resident Donald Gum began collecting email addresses and put out a request for board members and someone to build a website. 

"I'm just a guy like you are who's tired of what's going on in my neighborhood," Gum said. "Unfortunately, we're here tonight because of another incident."

Police are looking for a man who fired at the front of a home on Cadbury Drive. The homeowner, Aaron Moulton, had been working with Gum on forming an association even before the shooting. 

Chapelgate residents had previously express concern about drug activity in the area, and police also responded to a shooting on Chapelview Drive in June. 

Chapelgate residents said that the community did have a formal association in year's past, but that many members got older or moved away. Some residents also said organizing has proven harder in recent years due to an increase in renters, who may not be as engaged in the community. But they point to similar communities including Four Seasons and Maple Ridge that have maintained active associations despite changes in the population. 

"I've realized that there are a lot of people who have lived here since the neighborhood was built," said Moulton, an Idaho native and Army veteran. "They've seen the ups and downs and now they're looking at the downs. And a lot of them are older. I feel we need to be out to protect them."

County police chief Kevin Davis also urged the community to organize.

"Don't let tonight's gathering be in vain, or be a one-time thing," he said. 

See also: 

• No Tips Yet in Chapelgate Shooting Case
• Police Seek 'Vehicle of Interest' in Chapelgate Incident
• Bullets Shatter Window of Chapelgate Home, Child Hurt