OCALA, Fla. — The Ocala Police Department is investigating a string of violent shootings of teenage boys in the past week.

Jessica Blevins moved into the Promenade at Ocala Apartments in February and said violence in the area is commonplace. 

“The first shooting happened, not even, I think it was what, like maybe a month after we moved in, and it happened right in front of our apartments,” Blevins said.

On Friday, a shooting occurred in broad daylight at the complex. 

“Whenever you have gun violence and stuff like that happening in your neighborhood, it makes you feel very uncomfortable because what if it happens to you and you get shot,” Blevins said.

Ocala Police arrested that shooter quickly with the help of a K-9 unit. But the shooting at Promenade is one of three that has happened in Ocala within a week, all with teenage victims.

“It’s not commonplace, especially within that short span of time and especially involving the age groups we’re looking at, your teens,” Ocala Police Capt. Angy Scroble said. “So that becomes concerning to us as an agency.”

A 16-year-old boy shot at the Sutton Place apartments died, the 18-year-old shot at Promenade is hospitalized in stable condition and a 14-year-old drive-by shooting victim at NW 21st and NW 24th does not have serious injuries. 

“It’s possible they’re stolen guns, it’s possible that they’re just finding them, (and) they’re not secured properly,” Scroble said. “There’s a number of ways they’ve come across these weapons, I’m sure. We’d really like to get ahold of those weapons and take them off the streets, out of the hands of our youth.” 

The investigations into finding the shooters is a priority.

“A lot of information is kept close to the vest right now as they try to figure out whether we have several isolated incidents or whether we have a string of incidents that are related in some way, shape or form,” Scroble said. “Any information we can get from people in the community who know something, the slightest little thing, to do with it, can help move that investigation forward.”

Blevins said she’ll consider moving, as soon as her lease is up. 

“You’re trying to raise your family around here and then you have these younger kids starting crap with other people, and it’s just, it’s not safe,” Blevins said.

If you have any information, you can call the Ocala Police Department at 352-369-7000 or Crime Stoppers of Marion County at 352-368-7867. You can also submit a tip anonymously to ocalacrimestoppers.com.