MASON CITY – An alarmed Mason City citizen reported to NIT Tuesday evening that there were shots fired outside his home and police have confirmed the incident and continue to investigate.
A Mason City man called NIT World Headquarters Tuesday evening to report he and his family were frightened after hearing gunshots.
“It was pop-pop-pop!” the man exclaimed. “We dove for cover. I think one of the shots hit my sister’s house across the street. Cops are on the way. I’m so sick of this shit!”
NIT worked with police to get a statement on the incident. According to a Mason City police department spokesman, “Officers responded to the 300 block of 3rd N.W. at 8:00 p.m. last night on a report of shots fired. No one was injured and no damage was located. A shell casing was found in the street. Officers are still following up on the case.”
The long-time resident promised to alert NIT to further developments in the neighborhood, which has seen trouble before. Back in June of 2016, a caller to NIT described a dozen or more people screaming and arguing in the same street as last night’s shooting (see photo above), about a block and a half east of Monroe Avenue (between Madison and Jefferson Avenues) at the 300 block of Third Street NW. Police quickly arrived and dispersed the people involved. Earlier, on the night of May 29 / morning of May 30, 2016, racial epithets and threats were traded between angry residents in this same area, leading to a possible drive-by shooting that police never fully confirmed happened. Prior to that, in August of 2014, the notorious “Melee on Monroe” went down nearby, where dozens of people faced off, yelling and fighting, and a number of arrests were made.
There is no room for violence in our communities here in North Iowa. If you know something, say something. No one said it better than former Mason City mayor Eric Bookmeyer, with his now timeless advice: “Don’t be afraid of snitchin'”.
