Neighbors describe area where Colorado Springs officer was shot

In the area east of downtown where a Colorado Springs police officer was shot, neighbors are still trying to process what happened in their once quiet neighborhood.

Friday was quite a different scene from Thursday morning, when the neighborhood near Bonfoy Ave. and Boulder Street was completely taped off, but leftover crime scene tape can still be found on Elvira Sweetwater’s fence.

She says it’s a pretty accurate representation of the kind of neighborhood it’s been lately.

“It’s kind of not a very good area,” she said.

Sweetwater says there are often drunk people and homeless people who roam these streets.

“There’s a liquor store down the street so this is kind of like a traffic way. And there is a bar down the street, and there are always SWAT teams,” Sweetwater said.

According to a published report, Khammasi tried to get an Uber ride from this bar, but was “verbally aggressive,” so the driver canceled the ride and Khammasi was forced to walk.

Neighbors say they heard gunshots in this alleyway. Minutes later, he encountered Officer Cem Duzel here and shot him.

But neighbor Bartolo Vargas says it’s not uncommon for this part of town.

“Almost every evening I hear something like that,” he said.

Now that the tape is gone, people are worried about what kind of crime will come next.

While we spoke to many neighbors here Thursday, people on Friday were hesitant to share what they heard and saw after Duzel was shot.

Some said the neighborhood has gotten so unsafe, they may have to move.