Second Shooting Reported at Dunbar Heights

An anonymous caller reported a shooting at the upper lot of Dunbar Heights to Peekskill Police around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, March 24, Police Lieutenant Eric Johansen said. There were no reports of injuries.

This is the second shooting reported at the Dunbar upper lot, a property located northwest of Pemart Ave. off Highland Ave., this month.was reported on March 8 and police are still investigating that incident.

Police responded to the March 24 call and found no evidence of a shooting that night, but the next day they were alerted to a parked vehicle at Dunbar with a bullet hole in it.

“So it was confirmed that at least one shot was fired Friday night,” Johansen said. Johansen said that the police received “zero cooperation” from residents at Dunbar, which “seriously hinders our investigation.”

On Saturday night, Peekskill police deployed a “heavy police presence” at Dunbar. “It was done to protect residents, to maintain order and to make sure that those who were going to Dunbar Heights had a legitimate reason to be there, either living there or visiting at a resident’s request.”

Johansen said that police know who the victim and shooter were in the first shooting on March 8, but they cannot charge anyone because they do not have official testimony or probable cause. Police do not yet know who was involved with this weekend’s shooting. “We don’t even know if it is related to the last one.”

Police recovered evidence from Dunbar Saturday and are investigating both incidents.

This weekend’s call makes the fourth shooting reported to Peekskill police so far in 2012. Over the last five years the number of shootings have generally decreased, with 15 reported in 2007, 11 in 2008, 13 in 2009, 11 in 2010, 5 in 2011 and now 4 in 2012, according to Johansen.

Johansen said that police are frustrated over what they say is no cooperation from residents of Dunbar. And they are concerned over the lack of cooperation from the victims of the shootings.

“In my experience, when you have victims that don’t cooperate they are looking to take matters into their own hands and it is a very frightening experience for all involved,” Johansen said last week, before the second shooting occurred.

Sandy Allen, a Peekskill woman who lives at Dunbar Heights, has complained of repeated vandalism to her vehicle and has said that the city needs to provide a greater police presence to the housing project during city council meetings several times over the last year. At the March 12 Council meeting, Allen told the council she warned them something dangerous was going to happen.

"I said it two weeks ago and sure enough it happened. I've been asking for help and nothing," Allen said. "Somebody is going to get hurt out there."

The Peekskill police said they will continue their investigations into the two shootings.

“We will continue to investigate and are committed to protecting the citizens of this community from those who choose to engage in this deadly and ridiculous behavior," Johansen said of the shooters.