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West Medford neighbors describe terrifying drive-by shooting Residents are banding together to create a neighborhood watch Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 21, 2015 at 5:21 PM Updated Sep 21, 2015 at 5:27 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 21, 2015 at 5:21 PM Updated Sep 21, 2015 at 5:27 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Police puzzle over two types of shell casings found near drive-by shooting... • Drive-by shooting » Social News After bullets whizzed perilously close to three people on Narregan Street in west Medford Sunday night, some neighbors discussed banding together to create a community watch while others grew fearful of more drive-by shootings. “We’re moving,” said Brenda Hiles, a 39-year-old mother whose sons were shot at. “I can’t do this anymore.” This is the third drive-by shooting in less than two weeks in west Medford, with police and some neighbors considering the possibility the latest attack was gang-related. The first shooting occurred Sept. 9 on Edwards Street; the second occurred Sept. 16 just a few blocks away on Narregan. With gang tagging on the rise on nearby streets, some residents knocked on doors Monday hoping to get people interested in starting a neighborhood watch group. Hiles' sons, Sergio Stephens, 19, and George Polataivao, 20, were standing on their front lawn along with Morgan Noel, 15, when someone opened fire around 8 p.m. Sunday. “It could have been one of my kids they’re targeting,” Hiles said. Hiles said she moved to Narregan from Columbus Avenue to get away from gangs and drive-by shootings. Noel said she felt the rush of the bullet near her legs. “Luckily it was the chair that was hit rather than my leg,” she said. Police took the metal chair to examine it. They also collected bullet casings off the street. Stephens said he hid behind the house when he heard the gunfire. “I was one of the people who they tried to shoot,” he said. He said he thought he was hit at first because the shot was so loud and so close. “I didn’t want to look down and see gushing blood,” Stephens said. Medford police said several witnesses spotted a silver 4-door Toyota Camry driving slowly around the neighborhood. Four people, all wearing dark-colored hooded sweatshirts, were seen in the car, police said. Stephens said the Camry had a dent in the passenger side. Medford police Lt. Mike Budreau said the slow manner in which the Camry roamed the neighborhoods suggests the shooter or shooters were searching for someone. “It could be gang-related,” he said. Police have retrieved two different kinds of shell casings from the area, and the bullets went in different directions, with one striking a house across the street from where Hiles and her extended family live. The stray bullet struck the window sill and bounced around the interior, according to a man who was home with his wife and three children, Budreau said. Budreau said it’s possible that someone may have shot back at the Camry but there isn’t enough evidence yet to support that conclusion. He said police believe the shooters were not just firing off warning shots. “We’re lucky nobody’s been hit,” he said. No suspects have been arrested yet. Police are asking anyone with any information about the shooting to call the detectives division at 541-774-2230. Budreau said George Polataivao told police he saw three people get out of the Camry and begin approaching him on foot. Polataivao fled inside his house but came back out when the attackers got back into the Camry. Polataivao later said he saw a flash from the car and felt certain he was hit. Other bullets flew by, and Polataivao said he could feel them rushing past his legs. He said he and his family were leaving Medford for two weeks to go camping. Neighbor Stephanie Stewart, 36, mother of 4-year-old Richard Zablocky, said she’s going to keep talking to as many residents as possible to get a neighborhood watch started. She said she already went up and down the street earlier, collecting garbage and getting to know her neighbors. “When something goes wrong, I’m the type of person who calls code enforcement,” she said. The neighborhood had a problem house that attracted vagrants and that problem appears to be resolved, Stewart said. “This neighborhood, all in all, is pretty quiet,” she said. However, she indicated gang problems appeared to start when a certain family moved in. “I feel when those people move, the drama will stop,” she said. Randi Brock, who lives several blocks away, is also going door to door to get a neighborhood watch started. Brock said she suspects there are two houses on the street that have gang affiliations, and she said neighbors need to take down license plate numbers of suspicious vehicles and report them to the police. “We chased them out of Union Park, and now we have to chase them out of here,” she said. “The most important way for it to stop is for some of the people to get out of their houses and talk to each other.” Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm . Reporter Ryan Pfeil also contributed to this story. By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 21, 2015 at 5:21 PM Updated Sep 21, 2015 at 5:27 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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