Campus police at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth are warning people to be on the lookout after surveillance video recorded a man who appears to attempt to open the back door of an off-campus student home while holding a gun.
The video was taken at about 4 a.m. on Sunday at a home near 3100 Sandage Avenue in Fort Worth.
Students living in the area told NBC 5 that this type of activity has been on the rise in recent weeks, and something needed to be done to protect their neighborhood.
“It was terrifying,” said Bo Wilbanks, a junior student at TCU. “And you come here, you want to be safe, you pay all this money to come to school in this nice neighborhood, and you don’t feel safe.”
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“You feel violated, you know?” he continued. “And it’s a scary thing.”
Wilbanks said the surveillance video was taken outside one of his neighbor’s homes on Sunday morning.
On Monday, TCU Police issued a public safety bulletin, urging students to lock their doors and report anything suspicious.
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Students told NBC 5 that situations like this have been happening in their neighborhood for months.
“It all started with this particular subject, I’d say, over Christmas break when we were gone,” Wilbanks said.
Wilbanks shared multiple videos outside his off-campus home of a man trying to get in through a locked back door early in the morning.
He told NBC 5 that in the past several weeks students have filed police reports for a stolen grill and a pair of shoes, trying to get authorities to take action.
“It’s been complicated,” Wilbanks said. “TCU PD obviously is a little more limited because we’re not technically on campus.”
NBC 5 reached out to TCU Police to ask what security measures they’ve been able to take in the area.
“In cases of illegal or suspicious activity near campus, the TCU Police Department works closely with the Fort Worth Police Department to keep the TCU community as safe as possible,” the university said in a statement. “Impacted students have access to available resources, including the Counseling and Mental Health Center and providing temporary housing options if needed.”
Students told NBC 5 that after contacting Fort Worth Police for help, they were told they could hire an off-duty police officer to patrol the area for $65 an hour.
“Someone’s going to get … I don’t even want to think about what’s going to happen,” Wilbanks said. “Especially if he’s getting bolder and with weapons, there’s no telling what could happen next.”
NBC 5 asked Fort Worth Police for a response to the students’ concerns.
“We often receive requests from residents or businesses for extra patrols and coordinate them as officers are available, especially when there is a potential ongoing situation,” Fort Worth Police responded in a statement. “Our West Division Commander is aware of the issue and already devoting resources to this concern, including extra patrols.”
Students living in the area hoped that action would make them safer.
“I just want to see this guy leave us alone, just get him out of here,” Wilbanks said. “I don’t know what it’s going to take.”
Students living at some of the houses in the affected area expressed concern that their homes didn’t have a backyard fence to help keep intruders away. NBC 5 reached out to their landlord about their safety concerns and we have not heard back.
