Late-Night Parking Lot Gatherings Continue to Cause Problems in Montgomery
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) — Business owners and residents are raising concerns after gunfire erupted during a late-night gathering in a Montgomery shopping center parking lot over the weekend.
Mickey Phillips, who lives in a neighborhood just off Atlanta Highway, said he was jolted awake Saturday night by what he first thought were fireworks.
“It was so many shots, and it went on for four to five minutes,” Phillips said. “At least one of the guns being used was fully automatic and there were at least 300 to 400 shots fired. It sounded like a little war going on.”
According to the Montgomery Police Department, a man showed up at a local hospital with minor injuries from the shooting. Bullets shattered part of the glass front door at Hibachi Sushi Buffet, and witnesses reported that several cars in the parking lot were also damaged.
District 1 City Councilman Ed Grimes said the late-night crowds are causing headaches for local businesses.
“We are having a lot of problems with kids showing up in parking lots,” Grimes said. “They’re not patronizing the businesses. These businesses have invested a lot of money into these properties, and we don’t need this in the parking lot.”
“Most weekends we can hear the music from that space, which is almost a mile from my house, and it’s so loud we can hear it through the walls,” says Phillips
Phillips believes increased police patrols could help curb the issue.
“I called the police the night it happened and they never answered,” Phillips said. “They did not return my call, and this was from the 911 Call Center.”
Grimes wants more property owners to post no-trespassing and no-loitering signs to help deter the late-night gatherings.
“The kids just come out and hang out, start playing their music and somebody starts shooting, apparently,” he said. “We need something to keep them out of the parking lot and let the people who are coming here and going to the business park and go inside, but everybody else needs to stay out.”
