UNC Charlotte student scared to live at off-campus apartments due to crime

CHARLOTTE — Channel 9 spoke with a UNC Charlotte student who said she is worried about her safety while living at the East Village apartments, an off-campus housing complex.

“It’s definitely scary, and it makes it hard to sleep,” said the woman, who did not want to be identified.

The woman who has been living there since August said that crime has gotten so bad, she is trying to break her lease.

“They are basically making it extremely difficult because so many other people are also trying to break their lease,” she said. “We do, generally, hear gunshots a lot, and it’s hard to tell if it’s from our property or just from the area.”

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s crime-mapping tool shows 28 crimes have been reported within a block of East Village since Oct. 1.

The complex notified residents of a series of car break-ins on Oct. 5.

Residents learned on the same day a driver of a stolen car ran to the apartments and CMPD officers responded to two aggravated assault calls.

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Detectives said the suspects shot into a car and struck a man Sunday night. They’re still on the loose.

The resident Channel 9 spoke with said in the same conversation that people have recently been on the property.

“We have no idea if they live here or if they know people who are living here,” she said.

Residents want security upgrades.

“My greatest concern is just to have the building functioning, and that means the doors,” she said. “Because they are always propped open or open and unlocked.”

The resident also wants better communication from management.

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