'It just happened so fast:' Woman shot at in church parking lot with her 2 teen nieces

Woman shot at in church parking lot with her 2 teen nieces

City leaders in Tacoma say crime is down but people who live there say that's not what they're seeing in their neighborhoods. Some, like Gina Borruso, say they simply don't feel safe.

TACOMA, Wash. - City leaders in Tacoma say crime is down but people who live there say that's not what they're seeing in their neighborhoods. Some, like Gina Borruso, say they simply don't feel safe.

Borruso says she was shot at in a Hilltop neighborhood church parking lot with her two nieces. She reported the incident to police immediately, but there hasn't been an arrest yet.

June 23 is forever etched into Borruso's memory.

"I wear this and I wear this with pride," Borruso said as she clanged onto her ‘Best Auntie’ bracelet one of the nieces made her as a gift. A constant reminder of her love for them and a title she says she lives up to daily.

"For a minute. I felt like I failed," Borruso said. "It was terrifying. The kids screaming behind me ‘get us out of here’ and I feel like I couldn't get them out of there fast enough."

They were at St. John's Baptist Church off J St where she was teaching her two nieces, 13 and 14-years-old, how to drive.

"It just happened so fast," Borruso said.

Her 13-year-old niece was in the driver's seat -- she stopped when they got to the alley -- just as Borruso says a car pulled out of their right side.

"I saw the driver in all black, with a ski mask and the back window busted out and my stomach dropped," Borruso said.

Borruso says the car stopped and one of its doors opened. The situation quickly escalated.

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"I start hearing shots," Borruso said. "Just kept dumping on us and we duck. How do you look at a woman and children in their car and you still shoot that damn car up 13 shots?"

She pulled a casing from her door the following morning. Tacoma Police filed her report as a drive-by shooting which is being investigated.

According to the latest data, the city manager's weekly report to city council, crime overall is down.

Here's part of that breakdown:

Between Jan. 1 and June 18, 2022, there were 2,147 assaults and 22 homicides. So far in 2023, during the same time frame, there have been 1,808 assaults and 16 homicides.

"It's gonna get worse before it gets better," Borruso said.

She says she's not seeing her neighborhood get any better. In fact, she says there have been several other shootings, including the night of their close call. It's a scary situation, but she's now grateful her nieces weren't hurt.

"I felt like a sitting duck with my knees behind the wheel and I would not be able to live with myself if they weren't here because I couldn't get them out of that situation," Borruso said.

She's hoping to warn other families in the area and have the individuals caught. TPD detectives are on the case but so far don't have a description of a suspect or exact vehicle.

However, TPS is still understaffed. Haddow said both officers and detectives are doing the best they can to work these cases

If you have any information you're urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or use the P3 Tips app. You can remain anonymous.