Family scarred after bullets riddle Newark home; police say house was wrongly targeted
"There were bullet holes all throughout my home," Schkeema Troutman said.
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- A family in Newark is struggling with their sense of security after shots were fired into their home, which police believe was wrongly targeted by the gunman.
Imagine waking to the alarming sound of gunfire. Schkeema Troutman was sleeping on her living room couch, when she was startled suddenly by a loud bang.
Disoriented and confused, she scrambled to reach her children and realized that someone was shooting into her home.
"As I scrambled off of this same couch running here, we have a bullet hole here, we have another one here," Troutman said.
It happened early Friday morning. Fortunately, the bullets missed her by just inches.
"We run up the stairs and we're cowering on the floor of my daughter's room," Troutman said.
The Newark resident purchased her home three years ago to show her kids that hard work pays off. Now she carries a feeling of insecurity.
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"How do we come in here and resume our normal day to day," she said. "Hey kids what do you want for breakfast when there are bullet holes everywhere?"
Troutman's house was not the target, but neighbors say they heard someone yelling the name of a neighbor's son just before the gunfire which went into the wrong house.
"We're terrorized sometimes as residents outside our home and now I've been terrorized inside of my home," Troutman said. "Now what am I supposed to do?"
Troutman and her mother even found a bullet as they began sweeping up the dust and debris from the bullet holes.
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There are eight bullet holes in her house and some travelled through walls to the back of her home.
"There were bullet holes all throughout my home. My home is riddled with bullets," Troutman said.
One bullet even went into the chair her son uses to watch TV with his favorite blanket. The single mom thanks God that no one was hurt.
"I don't know what the problem is but we don't feel safe," she said.
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