‘It could’ve been our house’: Neighbors worry after drive-by shooting in south Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Lincoln Police are investigating a drive-by shooting in south Lincoln.

The Lincoln Police Department said it happened around 2:30 a.m. Thursday near 40th Street and Old Cheney Road.

Officers discovered that a home on 38th Street was struck by nine bullets, according to LPD. Police said no one was injured.

Later Thursday morning, one of the owners of the house was cleaning up damage from his door, which was hit by one of the bullets. He said he never expected it to happen.

Neighbors in that area said the shooting is unsettling because the neighborhood is usually a quiet place.

“It’s super calm. We go and take our cats on walks all the time,” Madeline Hill said. “And the neighbors love it, and we all talk and are all super close. So just kind of out of the blue and odd and different.”

She lives across the street from the house that was shot at.

“I mean if the car was going the other way, it could’ve been our house instead, which is scary to think about,” Hill said.

Ania Jackson lives down the street.

“It’s crazy,” she said. “I mean, he has a daughter that comes and stays sometimes, and it’s like, my kids go play over there. That’s just scary. It’s sad, really sad.”

She said the shooting is concerning for parents who have kids trick-or-treating on Halloween.

Jackson said instead of going door-to-door, kids should “go to trunk or treats, where there’s a big group of people.”

She is worried that south Lincoln is turning into a hot spot for crime, pointing to a recent vehicle theft and to a string of burglaries at a nearby vape shop.

She plans to get cameras and other protection to keep her and her family safe.

“Like I’ve told my kids, you be aware of your surroundings,” she said.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Lincoln Police at 402-441-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600.