After a recent shooting at an apartment complex near campus, many students living there had more on their minds than the cost of rent or their security deposit as the semester approached. 

Wolf Creek, an apartment complex located off Hillsborough Street, is home to many N.C. State students during the academic year. In the wake of the deadly shooting just days before the start of classes, both the management of the complex and residents are in the process of getting back to business as usual.

“According to the News & Observer, 23-year-old Wolf Creek resident Vincent Reed Bellamy shot and killed Trevor Anders Herne, 35, early Saturday, Aug. 10. Investigators say Herne broke into Bellamy’s apartment and held a gun to his face, and that Bellamy, who owned a gun of his own, shot Herne in self defense. Police have filed no charges in the case, though the investigation is still open.” 

Misti McElwee is the regional manager of The Woodlark Companies, the real estate group that manages Wolf Creek.

“It is a very sad event, and our hearts and thoughts go out to all of the parties involved,” McElwee said. “Our management team was called to the community by the police and began diligently working with them to notify residents in the community and the ones that had not moved in as of yet.”

McElwee said her team’s efforts have gone beyond just notifying residents.

“We have increased our on-site courtesy service and patrols in an effort to deter would-be criminals from targeting our community, but ultimately it takes a community,” McElwee said. “That is why when an incident does occur, we feel notifying our residents is the responsible thing to do.  This allows people to take measures to limit their vulnerability.  Information is empowering.” 

Trey Edwards, a junior in agricultural business at N.C. State, was one of the residents getting ready to move in to Wolf Creek when the incident occurred. 

“When I first heard it, I was really surprised, you know?” Edwards said. “I really didn’t expect the shooting to happen, and it was kind of alarming for it to happen so close to move-in.” 

Despite his concerns, he moved in on Wednesday, Aug. 14, adding that he was impressed with the property owners’ response.

 “At first, I was a little uneasy about it [moving in], but the apartment complex’s reaction has definitely reassured me,” Edwards said. “I was really happy with Wolf Creek’s response in that they’ve increased the security patrols.”

Edwards said he has seen on-duty police officers every night since he’s moved in.

Emily Van Schagen, a junior in human biology at N.C. State, was also moving in on Aug. 14. She initially heard about the incident through her father, who sent her a link to a news article outlining the event. 

Like Edwards, she said that she was also a little worried about the incident at first, but that she and her roommates have settled in.

“We all feel pretty safe,” Van Schagen said.  

Van Schagen said that she knows that events, like the Aug. 10 shooting, could occur anywhere.

McElwee said her management team is always trying to educate their residents on safe practices to prevent these kinds of incidents. Some of the tips she mentioned included calling 911 at the first sign of trouble, locking doors, reporting light outages, staying in well-lit areas and getting to know your neighbors. 

Meanwhile, Edwards said life seems to be returning to normal at Wolf Creek.

“I’ve talked with a lot of my neighbors, and none of them have brought [the shooting] up when they are talking about the apartment and how they like it, so I think everybody feels pretty safe,” said Edwards.