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Some university students living in Downtown Pittsburgh express concern about recent violence and gunfire

Some university students living in Downtown Pittsburgh express concern about recent violence and gunfire
THOSE STUDENTS. >> WE SPOKE WITH ONE UNIVERSITY STUDENT WHO HAD A BULLET SHATTERED HER APARTMENT WINDOW AFTER MIDNIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT AS SHE SLEPT. >> AND COVERED IN GLASS, STEPPING IN GLASS, GRAVITY DOES NOT MAKE SENSE AT THIS POINT. I’M LOOKING AT A LAMP BY MY WINDOW AND I SEE THE BULLET HOLE BEHIND IT. >> SHE SHARED THIS PHOTO OF THE BULLET HOLE THAT RICOCHETED OFF OF THE WALL SEVERAL FEET ABOVE HER BED, THEN UP THE CEILING AND LANDED UNDER A TABLE. IT IS NOT TURNING HER AWAY FROM DOWNTOWN LIVING AND LEARNING. >> IT IS NOT SCARING ME. I LOVE PITTSBURGH AND THERE IS SO MUCH CULTURE. >> OTHER STUDENTS EXPRESSED WEARINESS BECAUSE OF RECENT CRIMES AND VIOLENCE. SOME CITING THE RECENT DEADLY SHOOTING NEAR THE WOOD STREET T-STATION. >> THERE IS SOMETHING THE POLICE CAN DO TO KEEP IT DOWN, BUT I’M DEFINITELY SCARED WALKING THE STREETS. >> THE SHOOTING IS NOT THAT FAR. AND I HAD A LATE CLASS, SO WE HAD TO WALK. IT WAS LIKE WE HAVE TO BE MORE VIGILANT THAN NORMAL.
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Some university students living in Downtown Pittsburgh express concern about recent violence and gunfire
Some university students who live downtown are expressing concern for public safety in the wake of recent incidents of violence and gunfire. But one who had a closer brush with danger is not daunted by her experience.Watch the report from Downtown Pittsburgh in the video above.Sandamini Sinley, a third-year Point Park University student, had a bullet shatter her Chatham Towers apartment window after midnight Saturday as she slept.Waking to the sound of the bullet strike to find, "I'm covered in glass, I'm stepping in glass, there's glass on my bed. What lamp broke? Gravity does not make sense at this point and (then) I'm looking at a lamp right by my window and I see the bullet hole right behind it," Sinley told Pittsburgh's Action News 4.She said it appeared the bullet that shattered her window ricocheted off a wall several feet above her bed, then off the ceiling, and landed under a table. But she says it's not turning her away from Downtown living and learning."No, it's not scaring me away. I love Pittsburgh on so many levels and there's so much culture and life to it," Sinley said. "I feel safe because I'm aware of what could happen, but there's definitely room for improvement. And I'm not saying, 'Oh, a bullet going through my window, who cares?'"Some other students who live Downtown did express wariness because of recent crimes and violence in the area, including the recent deadly shooting on Liberty Avenue near the Wood Street light rail station."That shooting that happened on Wood Street, that's not that far, and I had a late class so we had to walk to class during that. So it was like, 'Oh jeez, we have to be a bit more vigilant than normal,'" said Alyssa Rose, a Point Park junior who lives Downtown."It's like a high concern. I feel kind of scared walking the streets lately, especially at night. I think there's something the police can do about it to try to keep it down, keep the crime rate down. But yeah, I'm definitely scared walking the streets at night," said Andrew Schach, a Point Park junior who lives Downtown.Schach lives near the Wood Street station and says he just missed being near the scene of the shooting near there."I actually walked to the school just before that, so I was glad that I made it to campus and was safe. I just kind of stayed more towards campus and away from over there because I was scared for my life if I went over there," he said.Point Park students get alerts from the university when there's a public safety concern Downtown."They're getting better with informing us about it and everything. But as a student, it being like a couple streets down kind of makes it kind of scary, you know," said Kabria Ross, a first-year student who lives Downtown.Another student said she's moved back home and now has an hour-long commute after having left Downtown living."It did affect my decision to move away. I just think it's kind of unsettling to be going to school with all the violence that's going on, because it just doesn't make it safe to be walking home from school," said Sarah Kobuck, a junior at Point Park.

Some university students who live downtown are expressing concern for public safety in the wake of recent incidents of violence and gunfire. But one who had a closer brush with danger is not daunted by her experience.

Watch the report from Downtown Pittsburgh in the video above.

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Sandamini Sinley, a third-year Point Park University student, had a bullet shatter her Chatham Towers apartment window after midnight Saturday as she slept.

Waking to the sound of the bullet strike to find, "I'm covered in glass, I'm stepping in glass, there's glass on my bed. What lamp broke? Gravity does not make sense at this point and (then) I'm looking at a lamp right by my window and I see the bullet hole right behind it," Sinley told Pittsburgh's Action News 4.

She said it appeared the bullet that shattered her window ricocheted off a wall several feet above her bed, then off the ceiling, and landed under a table. But she says it's not turning her away from Downtown living and learning.

"No, it's not scaring me away. I love Pittsburgh on so many levels and there's so much culture and life to it," Sinley said. "I feel safe because I'm aware of what could happen, but there's definitely room for improvement. And I'm not saying, 'Oh, a bullet going through my window, who cares?'"

Some other students who live Downtown did express wariness because of recent crimes and violence in the area, including the recent deadly shooting on Liberty Avenue near the Wood Street light rail station.

"That shooting that happened on Wood Street, that's not that far, and I had a late class so we had to walk to class during that. So it was like, 'Oh jeez, we have to be a bit more vigilant than normal,'" said Alyssa Rose, a Point Park junior who lives Downtown.

"It's like a high concern. I feel kind of scared walking the streets lately, especially at night. I think there's something the police can do about it to try to keep it down, keep the crime rate down. But yeah, I'm definitely scared walking the streets at night," said Andrew Schach, a Point Park junior who lives Downtown.

Schach lives near the Wood Street station and says he just missed being near the scene of the shooting near there.

"I actually walked to the school just before that, so I was glad that I made it to campus and was safe. I just kind of stayed more towards campus and away from over there because I was scared for my life if I went over there," he said.

Point Park students get alerts from the university when there's a public safety concern Downtown.

"They're getting better with informing us about it and everything. But as a student, it being like a couple streets down kind of makes it kind of scary, you know," said Kabria Ross, a first-year student who lives Downtown.

Another student said she's moved back home and now has an hour-long commute after having left Downtown living.

"It did affect my decision to move away. I just think it's kind of unsettling to be going to school with all the violence that's going on, because it just doesn't make it safe to be walking home from school," said Sarah Kobuck, a junior at Point Park.