Residents shaken after 5 teens shot at East El Paso apartment complex

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Neighbors say they were shocked and scared after gunfire erupted Monday at an East El Paso apartment complex, leaving five teenagers wounded and one 15-year-old boy in custody.

The shooting happened just before 9 p.m. at the Commissioners Corner Apartments on Montana Avenue. Police said a dispute among a group of people escalated when another individual arrived and opened fire.

Four teens between the ages of 15 and 17 are expected to recover, while a 17-year-old girl was seriously hurt, according to investigators. Police have not released an update on her condition.

For residents, the violence was alarming in a community they described as normally safe.

“I didn’t know it was gunshots. I just started hearing that boom, boom, boom,” resident Xiomara Flores said. “When I turned around, I saw this guy wearing a hoodie and a mask. Everybody started going to the playground … you see shoes left behind, the phone was left behind, the blood trails were actually around the complex.”

Another resident, who asked not to be identified, said he counted at least a dozen gunshots before hearing a woman screaming for her children. “It’s a very safe complex,” he said. “But Monday was just like — those random kids just came in with a car … I have rarely seen teens coming into this complex. They’re not from here.”

Flores added that she no longer feels comfortable letting her children play at the complex park alone. “It’s kind of scary … now, no, I won’t leave them there by themselves.”

Police said the investigation remains ongoing.