Winston-Salem residents worry of increased crime in neighborhood after armed robbery
Residents in one Winston Salem neighborhood say they’re worried about crime after a deadly shooting and an armed robbery all happened at one business nearby within months of each other.
On April 13, Winston-Salem police were called to the Fish Hut Arcade to reports of a shooting. Officers found one man dead.
Wednesday, June 29, the Winston-Salem Police Department responded to reports of an armed robbery at the Fish Hut Arcade on South Main Street.
According to a Winston-Salem police news release, suspects entered the business armed with handguns and stole money. The release does not say if shots were fired.
Troy Bruce, a neighbor who lives next to the Fish Hut Arcade, says he woke up the next morning to find bullet holes in his fence and car.
“It’s bringing crime into our neighborhood. All of our neighbors have seen the crime and we’re fed up," Bruce said.
Bruce said he wants something to be done after this is now the second time he says shots were fired at the fish hut.
WXII Reporter Maria DeBone went to the Fish Hut to see if they had any response to neighbors calling out crime happening there. An employee who answered said no comment.
Neighbors say it’s not just the Fish Hut but the area, in general, has experienced more crime within the past few months.
"Every weekend. Every Friday and Saturday night, you’ll hear gunfire and I mean it’s quite unnerving," Bruce said.
Willy Minnix, another person who lives in the area, said, “I've seen, like, drugs on the ground where people have dropped them.”
Even so, those who live here say it’s a good community and they don’t want to leave.
“This is not like a crummy community or anything like that. We like walking our dog and we’ll stop and talk with people. It just seems like that area on the corner is getting worse and worse," Minnix said.
Minnix said he would like to see more police presence patrolling the area.