Jenny Nowatzke
LA VISTA (KPTM) - La Vista police have arrested the young man whom they say shot two women Friday night. 17-year-old Deandre Sanders of Papillion turned himself into police Saturday afternoon. He's accused of shooting two young women in the leg.
It happened around 8:00 P.M. Friday night at the Crestview Village Townhomes near 84th and Parkview Boulevard. Police say Sanders got into an argument with a male, then pulled out a gun and started shooting.
Investigators say Sanders got away in a car, driven by 18-year-old Karen Gelecki of La Vista. She was arrested Saturday morning, and booked at the Sarpy County Jail for being an accessory to a felony.
Sanders turned himself in after speaking with officers on the phone Saturday afternoon. He's being held at the Douglas County Youth Center for Attempted Murder, First Degree Assault, and Use of a Firearm to Commit a Felony.
The two girls injured in the shooting, 17-year-old Martha Dum and 20-year-old Katelynn Schoch, are recovering at home, but it's left them and the entire neighborhood a little on edge.
"It almost hit the biggest artery in my right leg. Very close to my artery - I would have bled to death if it did," Dum said. The 17-year-old says, she was walking by the basketball courts at the Crestview Village Townhomes just before 8:00 P.M., when she heard Sanders and a group of kids start to argue.
"The guy gets in his car - starts shooting - I turned around - saw a light - and that's when it hit me." Once Dum realized she'd been shot, she fell to the ground. But, luckily, Michelle Chambers - a nurse - was close by.
"She wanted to know if she was going to die - I said, 'not today!'" Chambers has lived across the street for eleven years, and says, the crime rate has gotten worse in the area. "You used to be able to let your kids be out in the front yard. You didn't have to worry about being out here with them the whole time," she said.
Her neighbor, Dan Katskee agrees. Friday night, his house was hit by some of the gunfire - just feet away from his daughter's window. "Heard 2 quick 'pop-pops' and sounded like somebody hit the house with a hammer."
The community has a Neighborhood Watch Program, but Chambers, Katskee, and Dum all say they'd like to see La Vista police take a more active role in keeping the streets safe. "They progressively get worse. This is like living in a progressive war zone," Katskee said.
Police aren't sure if Sanders was trying to hit Dum or Schoch, but Dum believes he was aiming for a male party in the group. Managers of Crestview Village say Sanders is not one of their tenants.
The townhomes are managed by "Mercy Housing," an organization that tries to help lower-income families get back on their feet. Management says last night's shooting was unfortunate, and they are taking the proper steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. "This was an isolated incident. I can assure residents we're only going to be stronger and get better as we move on," said manager Gina Freimuth.
Neighbors in the area tend to disagree with property management. They say, they've called La Vista police on more than one occasion to investigate problems at the townhomes.
