LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Twin sisters Jameshia and Jerrica have attended East End Days for decades. On Saturday, they were there — Jameshia with her daughter Kennedi, Jerrica with her daughter Malia — when a mass shooting turned the longstanding community event into a scene of chaos and tragedy.
"It was like a split second getting everybody to safety," Jerrica said.
The sisters described scrambling to protect everyone around them in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
"You're trying to get every kid, every elderly person that's right there, anybody you can get to safety," Jameshia said.
Now, in the days following the shooting at Charles Young Park, business owners are raising concerns that items were stolen while the scene was under police control.
Like everyone else in the area, the co-owners of Never Too Much Creamery said they were told to leave the park as police secured the scene. After being assured their belongings would be safe and that no one would be allowed behind the police tape, they left everything behind.
"We lost a lot of things," the Croleys said.
When they were allowed to return, they said thousands of dollars worth of equipment and personal property had been stolen. They said police filed a report.
"The detective was kind of disappointed that there wasn't an officer there to watch the stuff overnight," the Croleys said.
The Croleys said they want to know what happened to the belongings of the families and vendors who were evacuated from the park, and what security measures were in place. When asked how they hope sharing their story creates awareness, they pointed to the future of community events.
"Security at the park, so that these kids can continue to have events," the Croleys said.
Lexington Police spokesperson Sergeant Bige Towery responded to a request for comment with the following statement: "We are unaware of any thefts occurring from the crime scene area. We would encourage anyone experiencing a loss of items that were left behind during this investigation, to contact the Lexington Police Department to initiate the reporting process."
Jameshia and Jerrica said the incident casts a shadow over something the community has invested in for years.
"It takes away from something that the community has worked hard to build," they said.
