Multiple shootings and weapons-related incidents have occurred at the Legends apartment complex throughout the past two months, and some SEMO students living at the complex are concerned for their safety.

The university requires all full-time students to live on campus for two academic years, unless they meet the exemption requirements. After fulfilling the two-year requirement, many students choose to reside in nearby apartments and housing facilities such as Legends, Cape Trails, Redhawk Commons, The District and Village on the Green.

Between Dec. 1 and Jan. 13, of the five apartment complexes, the Cape Girardeau Police Department (PD) received the most calls for service from Legends. Of the 23 calls from Legends, five were made for shots fired, two for suspicious activity and one for an alleged weapons violation.

This data excludes the most recent Jan. 18 shooting, which left one man injured. Sgt. Joey Hann of the Cape Police Department stated in a text message the suspect has not been located.

“Witnesses who have information on the matter have been less than cooperative in providing crucial information that could lead to the suspect’s arrest,” Hann stated.

A look at historical data from Cape PD between the period of Jan. 1, 2019, and Jan. 13, shows Legends did not receive the most calls of the five complexes listed; it was third on the list with 390 total calls. The complex with the most calls for service historically was Village on the Green, located across from the DPS office, and the complex with the second most calls was The District.

The reason for the recent uptick in activity at Legends is unknown. Hann said there is no real factor the Cape PD can directly attribute to the increase in call volume.

An anonymous Legends resident said until now they had no reason to be overly concerned.

According to the source, they witnessed shots fired on a Saturday evening early in December, after multiple shots were reportedly fired in the area earlier in the day. The source said they were with friends when a man fired shots into the air from a moving car.

They said they called police, and the Cape Police Department records show four calls pertaining to shootings for Dec. 4. Lt. Darren Estes said a Dec. 5 incident is still under investigation.

On Dec. 5, a second source said they found a bullet casing on the ground while walking their dog at the Legends complex. They said they called police to report it and assumed the casings were from the Dec. 4 shootings.

The second source and other Legends residents claimed to hear gunshots early in the morning on Jan. 1. There is one police call for suspicious activity on this day, but no calls for shots fired or weapons violations.

Due to recent incidents, Legends residents and those who have previously lived in other apartments such as Cape Trails and The District are calling for increased security measures. Hann said students should ask their complex before signing a lease if the complex is a certified member of the Cape PD’s program to become a crime-free, multi-housing unit.

“Security cameras are vital in assisting our investigators with follow-up investigations,” Hann said in a text. “A good-quality camera system that captures license plates can greatly assist in solving a wide variety of crimes.”

Legends lease manager Edgar Gonzalez said although not all security cameras are operating, the cameras at the main entrances and exits are functioning, so they can see who enters and leaves the premises.

A third source and Legends resident lived in The District apartments between the summers of 2019 and 2020. The source said they remember multiple incidents at The District, including a drive-by shooting in front of their door. At The District, the third source said there were security cameras on the property, and residents were usually kept up-to-date on the situation.

For many Legends residents, lack of communication from management is a concern.

“It sometimes takes an entire week for Legends to actually notify us of something happening, and that’s if they decide to notify us,” the third source said. “I usually learn of something happening through Facebook.”

Legends is the only complex out of the five listed to have a gate at the entrance. However, many Legends residents expressed frustrations with the gates not working properly. Two sources said the gates only work “half of the time.” When the gates are working, residents said it is a common occurrence for nonresident cars to block the gates to wait until they open so they can enter.

Gonzalez said the gates are outdated but have been fixed, and Legends management plans to hire an armed security guard for the property in the near future. He said one of the guard’s main duties will be to monitor the gates and take down the information of any nonresident vehicles entering the facility.

Gonzalez said Legends has evicted 10 people from the property since the incidents began, in addition to issuing no-trespass orders. He also said Legends management is collaborating with police to identify individuals involved in the incidents.

Hann said officers are doing extra patrols of Legends and periodically parking at the property to fill out reports between calls.

Legends is hosting an open forum in the Legends Clubhouse concerning the recent incidents with new management, ownership, the Cape Girardeau Police Chief and other members of the Cape PD at 4 p.m. Jan. 31.

Read more about the recent Jan. 18 shooting at Legends on the Arrow website.