Neighbors React To Waking Up To Gunshots

SIOUX FALLS, SD - All of the gunfire woke up people throughout the neighborhood. Most people weren't concerned.

Then, they looked out the window and saw police cars. Neighbors never imagined the loud noises were gunshots.

“I can see the house from my front door,” Kristi Stirler said.

That all changed with a big bang.

“It was right about 11:30 that we heard the shots or what we now know were shots,” Becky Kiepe said.

“There were a dozen or so cops down at the end of the road, which is not normal for this area. We were wondering what was going on,” Amanda Arrowood said.

“If we wanted to leave our driveway we wouldn't have been able to,” Stirler said. “I think there were that many cops and other cars.”

But before the commotion, neighbors say it sounded like fire crackers were going off down the block. And they had no reason to believe otherwise.

“I laid there and I go, ‘Mark, I don't think that was fireworks,’” Kiepe said. “Mark is my husband. He gets up out of bed and said, "Becky there's cops all over down there."

The flashing lights were just a block from Kiepke's living room window. Bullets battered at least one house and even some cars. Police say Thompson took at least two shots before they fired back.

“Never thought it was cops shooting back,” Kiepe said.

“Nothing ever happens in this neighborhood,” Stirler said. “And that's good. We have four children and that's good, but it's kind of scary that something like that happened just down the street.

Today those quiet streets are blocked off as the police piece together the puzzle of exactly what happened.

“I called my mom and I had tears in my eyes because it was scary this morning when we found out actually happened,” Kiepe said.

And the neighbors look forward to returning to their quiet life.