People living at Redbank Village living in fear following shooting

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — People who live in South Portland’s Redbank Village Apartments say they are feeling uneasy after a shooting at an apartment building in the complex. 

South Portland police said they responded to reports of shots fired calls shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday at 98 Wainwright Circle West.

No one was injured in the shooting. However, police observed that several shots were fired at the apartment. 

According to a press release, investigators found shell casings in the street near the residence and several bullets that pierced the apartment door. Police said bullets were also lodged into the apartment’s living room wall.

One neighbor’s security camera picked up footage of a light-colored, four-door hatchback vehicle speeding off after the shooting.

NEWS CENTER Maine crews were unable to spot the physical damage to the building as a result of the reported shooting cited in a news release from South Portland police, but several neighbors in the area said they heard five gunshots Sunday night. 

One neighbor said he thought he was dreaming, only to wake up and learn a shooting happened. 

Most people who live on the street said they were scared to talk, fearing of retaliation, but one resident who was willing said the recent shooting brought chilling memories of when her home was shot at in a separate incident back in November. 

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous said three bullets entered her home, and the holes are still there.

“I was in the front room. My cousin was in the back room, because we live in a two-bedroom apartment there,” she said.

The woman explained she works long hours, often late at night. Incidents like Sunday’s shooting make her even more scared, she said. 

She further explained she’s not sure what South Portland police and apartment managers are doing to make residents feel safer. 

The woman said she has not received any updates from police about the shooting incident that happened in November, and she said she hasn’t received information from the leasing office about the most recent and past incidents. 

“I cannot sleep. I have to be wondering, ‘What next? Who’s next?’ Or something,” the resident said. “Last night I went home and literally got out of the car, and I ran straight in. I put my key in my hand so when I reach the door, it’s in, turn, and in.”

The woman said there are many things she wants to see change, expressing she believes Maine needs tighter gun laws. 

“First and foremost, the gun laws in this country need reform. It’s not fair and not right for random people to just go around shooting like that,” she said. “The state of Maine needs to do something stiffer for people to own or hold a gun”

She also said she wants to see South Portland police add more security in the area, and said landlords need to do the same. 

Being that she has not seen improvement from the way the leasing office responds when violent incidents happen and because she has observed little progress in South Portland’s investigation of past shootings, she now believes moving might be her safest option. 

NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to South Portland police department for comment, but no one was available. 

The leasing office declined to give interview or comment on the incident, and they provided the number of the corporate office. NEWS CENTER Maine left a voicemail, but our team has not heard back as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.

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