Monday, September 08, 2008
Senior center struck by dozens of bullets
Police released few details of the Saturday morning shooting at Hoffler Manor.
Someone fired dozens of shots into a senior citizens complex in Northwest Roanoke early Saturday, residents of the complex said Sunday.
Nobody was injured in the shootings, residents said, and it was unclear if Roanoke police have apprehended any suspects.
The shooting took place at Hoffler Manor, which is next to Melrose Park. The bullets hit three apartments in a building with four units, residents said.
Police responded to a call at 6:19 a.m. about possible shots fired in the 1300 block of Moorman Avenue, according to Roanoke Dispatch Supervisor P.S. Wilmer.
But those were the only details Roanoke police made available Sunday. Spokeswoman Aisha Johnson said she had no information on the shootings, which left residents frightened and wondering why their building had been targeted.
Shirley Muse, 73, said that she was lying on her living room couch before 6 a.m. when she heard shots coming from the parking lot. She said that as she took cover, she heard a car speed away.
Afterward, she said, she found her ground-level apartment was riddled with bullet holes. A reporter counted 11 bullet holes on her front left window, two on her front right window and five that went through the front door. Also, several bullets hit her living room walls, at least one bullet went into her bedroom, another one pierced her bathtub, and another one hit her refrigerator, shattering glass containers inside, Muse said.
It was unclear Sunday night whether police knew how many people fired the shots, what type of weapon was used in the shooting, or whether all of the bullets came from the same gun.





