'Until there are bullet holes next to your baby’s bed, you don’t understand'
It was just past midnight early last Sunday morning. Kari Chitwood and her husband Derek were in bed.
Their four-year-old son had left his bedroom and crawled in with his parents. Their twin two-year-old daughters were sleeping in their own room.
“We thought our girls were falling down the stairs. I thought somebody was dumping marbles down the stairs. Maybe it was fireworks,” explained Kari. “Then we realized it was gunshots.”
The Chitwood family has lived for five years on East North Street in downtown Greensboro.
“We don’t live in a bad place,” she said. ”We’ve got five acres; our kids run and play. Our girls didn’t wake up. A bullet literally came within six feet of them, and they didn’t wake up.”
She said a bullet fragment was found beside their son’s bed.
“We called 911, and 10 minutes later we had to call again. Nobody came,” Kari said. “I mean they finally showed up in the street, never came to our house. They came Sunday morning.”
Police looked through the house and did what they needed to do, she said, adding that there were eight bullet holes in their house, and police found shell casings in the street.
The Chitwoods moved to Greensboro from Watkinsville. They own and operate four clothing stores in the area and just opened a new one, Empire South, at Lake Oconee.
“We love Greensboro,” said Kari. “We didn’t want to be at the lake. We chose here. We’ve always felt safe until now.”
Greensboro Assistant Police Chief Tommy Nelson told the Lake Oconee News Wednesday that officers found more than 50 shells in the area.
Two houses had bullet holes or marks but no one was injured.
“A lot of these rounds went up in the air. Not necessarily to celebrate but perhaps to send a message to somebody,” Nelson said.
At least five 911 calls came in about the incident that night, according to Nelson, who listened to some of the calls, and no one indicated they wanted to talk to an officer at that time.
Nelson said the officer first checked out information about vehicles involved in the area before going to the scene. He said they have some very good leads and potential suspects, and they could make arrests soon.
The Chitwoods came to Monday night’s City Council meeting and later talked to council members David Neal and Jontavius Smith.
Both were stunned.
“I’m so sorry it happened,” Neal told her.
“We just want to ensure that it’s not going to happen again,” she told them. “I’m still in shock. I want to know that it’s taken seriously. I mean the police had come out…but until there’s bullet holes next to your baby’s bed, you don’t understand.”
Nelson added that there are only about two incidents a year when a gun is discharged in the city limits.
Last month, he reported to the City Council that crime continues to decrease in the city. In the first part of the period October 2023 through January 2024, crimes against society were down 60 percent. Crimes against persons and property were down 29 percent.
However, Nelson said, in the last part of the quarter there were nine instances of car break-ins but they were all done by one person, who was caught.