Belmont neighborhood sees second murder this year, LPD opens new station at 14 & Knox
The Belmont neighborhood has seen two of Lincoln’s three homicides this year.
That has some neighbors worried, and others mad that the place they call home is being shown in a negative light.
John Verzal has lived near 12th and Judson for 18 years, and said they’ve never had a problem.
“I love it over here,” Verzal said. “It’s really a very nice neighborhood.”
But he acknowledges that his nice neighborhood that sits between Superior Street and Cornhusker Highway has seen some dark days.
“We’ve gotten a bum rap over the last few years,” he said.
Last week, a Lincoln man, Stacy Talbot, was shot and left for dead in the street near 14th and Judson.
Police don’t know who killed him, or why he was left in Belmont.
Talbot marks the second killed in the neighborhood this year.
36-year-old Jessica Brandon, a mother and grandmother, was shot and killed in a drug-related home invasion in July.
This comes two years after two other murders- that of Kwik Shop clerk Robert Hanna and UNK student Marlene Rashidi- and a string of serious arsons.
Over the last few days, Channel 8 News has talked to dozens of area residents. Many didn’t feel comfortable doing on camera interviews, but the overwhelming majority told us they are scared.
Some said they no longer walked alone at night and they double-lock their doors. Another said their family is considering packing up their belongings and moving away.
Some defended Belmont and said the people there aren’t the problem.
Verzal is one of them.
“We’ve had a rough break here,” Verzal said. “Had some crime; had some problems, but what part of Lincoln hasn’t?”
He did say more could be done to keep the area safe, he said a heavier police presence could do the trick.
Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemiester agreed that more officers needed to be in the area, to help comfort a concerned neighborhood and improve response times.
The department opened a sub-station inside the Pet Care Center at 14 and Knox in early October.
Bliemeister said it’s been in the works since the murders in 2016, but logistics and funding delayed the addition until this year.
The Pet Care Center offered LPD a no-cost lease and members of LPD’s Northwest team did the renovations themselves, with a total cost of $3,000.
