AUSTIN, Texas — A man has been arrested following a shooting at a northwest Austin apartment that sent two people to the hospital early Wednesday morning.
According to the Austin Police Department (APD), two people were shot at around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday at the Chesapeake Apartments, on Hymeadow Drive, near U.S. Hwy 183 and Anderson Mill Road.
On Friday, APD announced they arrested 31-year-old Oscar Parker related to the incident. At this time, it is unclear what Parker is charged with.
Neighbors around the complex told KVUE on Wednesday that they were alarmed after the shooting. Ritesh Sharma, who lives in the neighborhood, just feet away from the apartments, said he and his wife woke up in a panic.
“We just got woken up to the sounds of gunfire and immediately, we thought, ‘We got to go to our son.’ So, [we] ran into his room to make sure that he’s OK and lay down on top of him,” Sharma said.
Sharma worries the shooting won’t be the last, saying issues at the apartment complex have been escalating.
Alex Hilderbrand, who lives across the street from Sharma, said for the past year, noise from the apartment complex has been the biggest issue.
“Tenants – not everyone in the apartment complex, obviously, but just a few – will start a block party at noon, which will go until 3 in the morning,” Hilderbrand said. “Extremely loud bass music – it’s loud enough that we can hear it inside our home a football field away.”
Hilderbrand also said litter from the parties drifts into their yards and sometimes gets thrown over the fence of neighbors like Sharma. They’ve also captured people driving recklessly in the apartment’s parking lot.
“There is a concern for safety and crime, right? For the kids. It could get worse because it doesn’t seem like the problem is managed correctly,” Hilderbrand said.
According to Hilderbrand, he’s personally reached out to the apartment’s property managers, RPM Living, more than a dozen times about their concerns, but hasn’t seen any action taken. Hilderbrand said he and several other neighbors just want to work with the property managers to improve their quality of life.
“I think noise is a primary issue and, obviously, now it’s escalated to the point where safety is an issue for the tenants of the apartments. Of course there’s the fear that that would expand into our street in our neighborhood as well,” Hilderbrand said.
KVUE reached out to RPM Living regarding the neighbors’ concerns, but management has yet to respond.