Neighbors dodge bullets, respond to car crash in 'usually peaceful' Riverwest neighborhood

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- We have new video that catches the moment shots were fired in a Riverwest neighborhood, sending people running for cover. The security video also shows a speeding car crashing into a curb and flipping.

Neighbors say the area around Kilbourn Reservoir Park is usually quiet and safe, but not Tuesday. One man was on the phone just inside a window when bullets tore through, and moments later the car crashed across the street.

Michael Dillon says, "I dropped to the ground as soon as that happened." Dillon was on the phone with his sister when at least 16 shots were fired outside his home near Fratney and Meinecke.

He says, "I suddenly heard a whole bunch of pops and bangs, and then all of a sudden it shot through the glass and the blind, hit the cabinet behind me and ricocheted back." Dillon has two security cameras monitoring his home, but neither pointed at the intersection.

A camera from across the park shows a speeding car racing down Fratney a moment later, hitting the curb, then rolling into the park. A few doors down, John Harvie heard the shots and the crash. He says, "When I came out of my porch here, you could see everybody running. There were people in the park running away."

Harvie was the first person to reach the car. "That was the scariest part, actually. Because you saw the car, you saw the airbag, you imagine there might have been something grisly to look at inside of it, but there wasn't. It was empty."

Harvie says investigators found shell casings in the alley behind the houses. Milwaukee police said there were no injuries, and they're not sure if the shooting and crash are related.

Harvie says the incident lasted about five minutes before things quieted quickly in a neighborhood he describes as peaceful. "People were not afraid of getting involved. People were out to make sure this is a safe neighborhood."

Harvie says the driver of the car must have fled the scene after the crash. Milwaukee police did not have any suspect information, and the department is asking for tips related to the shooting and the crash.