AUBURN, Wash. — A shooting at an illegal street race in Auburn sent four people to the hospital over the weekend. It happened on Saturday, and police are still searching for suspects.
It is just the latest incident on a list of public safety concerns that people who live and work in the city are frustrated about, according to several South Auburn business owners.
Carly Willis has been documenting the damage to her business, Antique Marketplace, with a collection of surveillance videos and pictures showing what's become a constant burden.
“This is my third break-in this year, just this year,” said Willis in one of her recordings.
In addition to break-ins, there has been brazen shoplifting caught on camera.
"This particular hit on Easter night cost me about $20,000,” said Willis. "It was bad. It was really bad. I lost a lot this time around."
Her business is in a South Auburn shopping center.
"We all have plywood over our windows. I'm not special by any means,” Willis said.
A few doors down, Aloha Islanders Mini Mart has been targeted too.
“They just came here. Pointed the gun. They have a mask on their face,” said Taran Singh as he described a recent armed robbery.
"We are not able to feel safe over here to run our business because anything can happen,” Singh said.
Willis spoke about public safety concerns at an April 3 city council meeting.
"The fact is if something isn't done about crime and violence that we as business owners are facing, we won’t have businesses much longer,” Willis told the councilmembers and Mayor Nancy Backus.
On Monday afternoon, Mayor Backus told KING 5 that an understaffed police department is part of the issue.
"In Auburn, we are down 29 officers that are non-deployable, said Backus. "It's very challenging right now. Most agencies are down officers."
Mayor Backus adds that Auburn is working to recruit and retain officers.
"If I contacted insurance every single time we had an incident, they would have dropped me by now,” said Willis. "I'm not happy here because we are not protected."
Willis says she’d like the city to put a police substation in South Auburn. Singh said he wants to see more police patrols around the businesses.
“We're going to need the help of the business owners. We're going to need them to continue to call 911 when something is occurring,” said Mayor Backus, who added that a meeting about safety concerns between the city and South Auburn business owners could help too.
“A lot of times the best suggestions come from the individuals who are impacted the most,” she said.
Business owners plan to attend Monday night's council meeting and raise their concerns during the public comment period.