Two separate shootings involving police happened within a few weeks of one another along Keystone Avenue.
Even though these shootings happened one after the other, police say Keystone isn't considered a crime hot spot at the moment.
Officers shot and killed a suspect less than three weeks ago along Keystone at 4th street. While we don't know the exact circumstances yet, another suspect died near 7th Street on Wednesday after deputies fired their guns.
The Reno Police Department says the shooting are unrelated. They say it's an unfortunate coincidence that these events would happen on the same street. However, they're continuing to monitor the area to see if extra patrols are needed.
"We are seeing that there are some areas in there, or pockets, where it's a little more prone to criminal activity," said Chief Kathryn Nance, the Reno Police Department. "We haven't necessarily seen a big increase in spikes of crimes that are happening there, but we are very cognizant that some parts of the street are very commercialized and being used for their intent and purposes and some are a little bit lagging."
Chief Nance tells us they're trying to bring more activity and business into the area to lower crime. They do this with code enforcement and business licensing to make it more friendly to the community.
The Chief adds "We find that when a space is activated in its intended purpose, we usually see crime rates drop."
The Chief says when shootings like what we've seen happen back-to-back it doesn't mean the area is a hotspot for crime.
She says shootings involving police officers are down. Regionally last year there were seven of these shootings and this year there have been four.
Chief Nance explains "It's kind of an unfortunate coincidence because it does lead people to believe 'oh I heard about that street last time and now I heard about it again.' So it gives the perception of a safety issue where really these are two independent incidents that could've happened anywhere in our city."
We spoke to one neighbor who tells us how his friends and him felt about the recent shooting by the Raley's on Keystone.
"My friends were driving by, and they were trying to get groceries here and there were 20 cop cars just sitting right here and they didn't really know what the situation was," said Aidan Henderson, a resident near Keystone Avenue.
He adds "But it is nice knowing there is a police response to this immediately. It's not just like an active shooter is out here and nothing happening. They're actually taking action."
As for safety in the area, some residents are confident while others may be changing their minds.
James Watson, another Reno resident says "It's pretty safe here… at least I think so."
Henderson tells us "Generally I think it's pretty safe but given the incident that happened yesterday I'm questioning that a little bit."
