It’s happened for the second time in just a few weeks: Innocent bystanders shot randomly in downtown San Diego.
First, two women were hit by a stray bullet in the Gaslamp in late June. One of the victims was shot in the hand, while the other was struck in the chest. Fiorito said the same bullet traveled through both victims.
Then, this past Saturday, it happened again. Security footage NBC 7 obtained from Great Wall Express, a Chinese restaurant on Broadway and 5th Avenue, shows police responding to an incident outside a nightclub Saturday around 1:30 am.
The victim this time was a 32-year-old woman, who was hit in the back by a stray bullet and taken to the hospital. Police said she has non-life threatening injuries.
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May Ling is the manager at Great Wall Express.
"When I heard about it [the shooting], I was surprised we didn’t know until they asked us if we had footage," Ling said.
Great Wall Express has been a family run business since 1995. Ling said people have gotten more aggressive over the past few months.
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"It's just so violent here now," Ling said. "It’s not the same."
Prince Wafa, who owns a downtown convenience store, moved from Afghanistan to the United States a few years ago. His employee called him right after the shooting took place across the street.
"Anytime I come to work, I feel like I am going to the front lines," Wafa said. "I told my employee to keep the door locked and stay inside until everything is clear."
Wafa said he doesn’t feel safe downtown.
"I would never bring my family in downtown San Diego," Wafa said. "I don’t even feel safe to walk at night. If I cannot feel safe walking here, how can tourists can come here and spend their money here?"
Police want anyone with information about Saturday's shooting to contact them. A police representative said Saturday’s suspect drove away in a BMW sedan.
NBC 7 asked San Deigo police about the complaints from business owners and received the following comment from Lt. Adam T. Sharki:
"SDPD responded to this weekend’s shooting in the Gaslamp Quarter and arrived within two minutes. The department evaluates all calls for service, and life-threatening emergencies are always the top priority. We understand our community’s frustration with response times to non-emergency calls. Officers are continuously striving to meet community expectations in regards to both response times and delivering high-quality police service."
