Bullets fly in Cd'A
<p>Hattie Kelley, a 12-year resident of Coeur d'Alene Manor, describes the fear she experienced during Sunday night's drive-by shooting that left a bullet lodged in a tree just outside her bedroom wall.</p>
<p>Marked with paint by police detectives, a tree outside Hattie Kelley's apartment shows damage from a bullet that was aimed at the exterior wall of her bedroom.</p>
<p>A light spot in the concrete near a detective's marking indicates one of a string of bullets that ricocheted off the sidewalk near the Coeur d'Alene Manor apartment complex for seniors and disabled residents.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - An apartment building housing seniors and disabled residents was the surprise target of a drive-by shooting in Coeur d'Alene.
A spray of gunfire erupted around 11:45 p.m. Sunday at Coeur d'Alene Manor apartments, unleashed from a vehicle traveling along North Second Street, which runs along the east side of the complex.
One senior-citizen resident, Hattie Kelley, was in bed when she heard the shots, though she didn't immediately recognize the sound.
"I can't figure why they would shoot at these apartments here," Kelley said. "If it wasn't for that tree, (a bullet) probably would have went right through my bedroom."
Ricochet marks were visible in the sidewalk along Second Street. Some trees along the side of the complex had visible bullet gouges.
The apartment building suffered slight damage.
Stacey Vahey, the property manager, said the bullets didn't penetrate into the apartments, and no one was reported injured.
"Thank God there was some trees there," Vahey said.
With seniors and disabled residents, she said, "I'm just as confused as anybody" why the complex ended up being targeted.
Witnesses told police they saw a dark red, or maroon, mid 1990s 4-door vehicle, possibly a Toyota Corolla, initially driving northbound on Second Street from east Anton Avenue.
The vehicle drove to the north end of Second, a dead end, turned around, then stopped for a few seconds, witnesses told police.
The vehicle then began driving southbound on Second and the witnesses heard loud popping noises coming from the passenger side of the vehicle, police said in a news release Monday.
The witnesses reported seeing sparks coming off the sidewalk adjacent to the complex.
The vehicle was reportedly last seen turning west onto Anton and driving out of sight. Witnesses didn't come up with a license plate number.
Officers located spent shell casings. They also located several "final impact" locations in the trees on the side of the apartment building, and impact marks on the apartment building itself. One was clearly visible at the edge of a glass slider door.
Police, in the news release, said the motive for the shooting is unknown and possibly random. Police didn't say how many shots were fired.
Another resident, Dwayne Paul, 68, said he was in bed when the shots were fired. He initially just froze. Next thing he knew, police were knocking on his door to check on him.
"I was scared," Paul said.
Resident Michael Philp said he was up watching TV because he couldn't sleep.
"It sounded like loud firecrackers right under where I live," he said.
Still, he got down on the floor to be safe.
"It was pretty spooky there for a minute," Philp said. "You don't know what's going to happen from day to day. You hear on TV about all this stuff is going on."
Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest is offering a cash reward for information on the drive-by shooting. Crime Stoppers: (208) 667-2111.
Callers are asked to use a code name or number and don't have to use their name to be eligible for a reward.