The sun was still out when Elizabeth Krost-Johnson heard her neighbor die.
She was taking out the trash as her neighbor’s ex-boyfriend stumbled onto her porch, bleeding profusely from what police said was a self-inflicted gunshot to the jaw.
Krost-Johnson plugged her thumb into his wound to stop the bleeding, saving the life of someone who officials would later charge with killing his ex-girlfriend one house over.
As her clothes and porch were stained red, she was thankful her children were at school.
For the mother of five – and many other residents of Laurelwood Apartments who spoke with the IndyStar – crime is a constant.
Located off Shelby Street in south Indianapolis, frequent violence weighs on residents of the complex’s 231 units. Many said the Indianapolis Housing Agency, which owns Laurelwood and 13 other low-income housing communities, hasn’t done enough to keep them safe, despite renewed focus on security from the nonprofit’s new leadership.
Crime, shootings and parenting at Laurelwood
Over the past 11 years, police have been sent to Laurelwood more than 500 times, and to nearly every unit in the complex, according to IndyStar and Indianapolis Metroplitan Police Department data.
Most police calls were for theft, vandalism, or battery. When IndyStar visited in June, reporters saw multiple graffiti-covered walls and shattered windows.
Aside from possible squatters and too many stray cats, locals’ main complaint was about rowdy kids who cause trouble at night, masked by the darkness of a string of shot-out streetlights.
Once the sun sets, residents said they stay indoors and lock down their homes.
One resident began plugging the space underneath her door at night after a firecracker exploded in her kitchen. Another began placing a kickstand against her door after she said it was repeatedly kicked inward one night, like someone was trying to take it off its hinges.
“No one should have to live like this in no apartments,” said Ja’Leel Daniels, who said he boards up his door when he’s home alone. Another resident said she uses rope to secure her door.
Parents said they don’t let their children go to the parks alone. Even in the daylight, many said it’s too dangerous to be unaccompanied.
“My kids don’t get to go outside and be kids anymore,” said mother of four Tatiana Morst.
IndyStar reporters also saw an unspent bullet lying on the sidewalk when they visited in June. Residents said gunshots are common at night.
Each time Morst hears a gunshot, she said she gets out of bed to make sure her children aren’t hit by a stray bullet through the drywall.
Aside from the death Krost-Johnson heard through her wall, one other person has been killed at Laurelwood since 2014. A memorial to 14-year-old Deandra Clay-Staples decorates the grass directly behind Morst’s apartment.
Nicknamed “MooMoo,” the teen visited Laurelwood in the middle of the night in January. She was shot, and her body was left in the snow overnight.
Indianapolis police said they are still investigating Clay-Staples’ killing.
Morst heard the shooting occur, she said, but was too scared to peek outside. She is one of many residents who described a desire to keep to themselves due to a fear of possible retaliation from those committing crimes within the complex.
Of the more than 500 police dispatches to Laurelwood since 2014, at least 11 reports documented guns firing. Reports described stray bullets entering homes and damaging property. Last July, five people were shot on Laurelwood’s basketball court, including one teenager.
“It’s like a dark cloud over there,” said Clay-Staples’ aunt, Brianno Curry, who believes the apartment complex played a big part in her niece’s killing. “I will never go over there. They need to shut those apartments down. You can feel that it’s a dark trap.”
Indianapolis police said it would “politely pass” on allowing the IndyStar to speak with the southeast district commander to discuss the community’s crime rate.
Is anyone supposed to protect Laurelwood?
Laurelwood Apartments is owned by the Indianapolis Housing Agency, according to tax records.
IHA CEO Yvonda Bean said the safety and security of residents is a focus area since she took the lead at the agency in February. That means establishing community crime watch groups and offering resident trainings, she said in an interview.
Indianapolis police declined to answer when asked whether Laurelwood has a crime watch organization. It declined to provide the contact information of anyone involved, citing privacy concerns.
Laurelwood residents said they weren’t aware of such a program. They expressed skepticism at the success of a crime watch given years of defensive self-isolation and the complex’s emboldened criminal culture.
“We already know how to take care of ourselves,” Krost-Johnson said. “We stay inside so we don’t get shot.”
Asked whether IHA would consider providing security guards or increasing security deterrent technology, Bean said IHA isn’t responsible for providing security at Laurelwood Apartments and wouldn’t consider doing so.
“That is not common across the country,” Bean said. “Housing authorities are not typically providers of security.”
In June, attorneys for IHA argued it was financially impossible to provide 24-hour security at another of its properties, Lugar Tower. The judge required IHA to keep 24-hour security in a civil lawsuit where attorneys said there was persistent violent crime outside the property.
There wasn’t enough evidence to prove it was financially impossible for IHA to provide security, the judge said.
IHA has more than $1 million in reserve funding for Laurelwood, according to records on its website. However, the money can only be used for large-scale improvements.
Laurelwood and another property were approved for a $45,000 grant to support operating expenses in May. Asked if any would be spent on security, Bean said she was unfamiliar with the grant.
Morst said it was sad but not surprising that IHA likely wouldn’t provide security for her community. She said it’s the latest example of a mentality she often encounters living in low-income housing: You deserve your problems because you can’t afford better conditions.
IHA advertises Laurelwood’s security. It’s unclear whether it exists.
Until December 2024, the Indianapolis Housing Authority operated its own security department.
Bean said it was determined the department “wasn’t in the best interest of the organization” and was dissolved, in part, due to cost.
IHA lists security patrols as an amenity of Laurelwood Apartments. However, residents said they haven’t seen any routine security presence for at least one year.
Bean said the security patrols advertised on the apartment’s website include Indianapolis police patrols.
“That’s obviously false advertising,” said mother of three Davina Cole, who lives at Laurelwood. Krost-Johnson said it was hypocritical for IHA to say it’s not responsible for providing security protections while advertising security patrols.
An Indianapolis police department spokesperson said he was not aware of a routine patrol schedule for Laurelwood.
However, one resident described seeing an Indianapolis police officer about every two weeks knock on a few doors and check in with residents.
To combat inadequate safety measures, Krost-Johnson said her family deludes itself, convincing themselves they are safe.
“It’s a coping mechanism that we’ve all manifested so that we don’t have to be scared all the time,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Frequent gunshots, scared parents and minimal security: Life and death at Laurelwood Apartments
Reporting by Matthew Cupelli and Jade Jackson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
