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Family Terrified, Fed Up After Bullets Pierce Their Home

By Stan Bush

DENVER (CBS4) - Patrick Murphy woke up Sunday to bullet holes in the front of his Curtis Park walk-up. Two shots in his front window and door frame hit in his family room.

"The difficult thing for me is this room is a playroom for my child," said Murphy, the father of a 7 month-old.

The shots came from an unknown altercation down the street. Murphy speculates it was a drug deal gone bad. His neighbor David Tagieff heard the shots and called police, but the response was not immediate.

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Patrick Murphy shows CBS4's Stan Bush a bullet hole at his home (credit: CBS)

"I thought gunshots deserved a response," said Tagieff.

Denver police were investigating a homicide in the city's Five Points area Saturday night, although police did not indicate whether or not that incident affected their response time.

A police spokesman says the Ballpark neighborhood does receive extra attention, including extra patrols to handle drug and alcohol abuse and to create a visual presence as a crime deterrent.

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CBS4's Stan Bush interviews David Tagieff (credit: CBS)

Tagieff says it isn't enough.

"When they disappear you see the drugs back out on the street," he said.

Curtis Park is one of the city's fastest growing neighborhoods. Once a home to abandoned warehouses and empty lots, there are now new mixed-use developments and large apartment complexes on nearly every block. But the area is still host to some of the city's most troubling urban problems.

There is rampant drug trafficking and abuse and hundreds of homeless people camp on the sidewalks and streets during the day.

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A bullet hole at Patrick Murphy's home (credit: CBS)

"There are consequences to the homeless shelter and this is the consequence," said Murphy.

Murphy says the neighborhood needs to become more vigilant to get the area to change. He wants police to rethink their approach to keeping the area safe.

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(credit: CBS)

"I would like to see police get out of their trucks and walk and talk to people more. I think it would help a lot," he said.

Stan Bush is a general assignment reporter at CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 10. Read his bio and follow him on Twitter @StanBushTV.

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