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Shots fired in Orange County neighborhood, still no arrests, deputies say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Shots rang out in an Orange County neighborhood Monday and deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office have not made any arrests.

Someone fired the shots in the Sky Lake community near Sand Lake Road and Orange Blossom Trail.

Neighbors told Channel 9's Jeff Deal that they fear the shootings will continue.

“Well, I’m scared. It’s scary, you know,” said Dee Nerein.

Nerein walked outside after the shooting and said he saw a car abandoned in the middle of the street. He said the car was filled with bullets and that he saw another car leave the scene.

Other neighbors said they saw a man with a handgun running down the street.

"I'm not surprised at all. You have the two drug hotels by the Wawa,” said Jeremy Ball.

Other neighbors told Eyewitness News that they've recently been hearing more and more gunshots, mostly at night.

"I feel pretty safe in the community knowing my neighbors, but like I said, crime is getting closer,” Bell said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office gave statistics to Eyewitness News that showed crime dropped nearly 10 percent from 2015 to 2016 in the neighborhood where the shots were fired.

Some in the community have said that Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings and his deputies are not as engaged in the neighborhoods as they would like.

“Do you think there’s a public perception he (Demings) just isn’t out there? Do you guys sense that?” Deal asked.

"Well I don't know where that's coming from. Like I just stated there is a presence, the sheriff is out there, he's working,” said Capt. Angelo Nieves, a spokesperson with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Nieves said the sheriff is involved in community groups like the Boys & Girls Club, YMCA and Police Athletic League.

Nieves said the sheriff has captains in each section of the county who meet with people and keep tabs with what’s going on in the community.

"The sheriff can't be at five different places at one time,” Nieves said.

Nieves said even though people in the Skylake community don’t see deputies all the time, he contends they are working.

Jeff Deal

Jeff Deal, WFTV.com

I joined the Eyewitness News team as a reporter in 2006.