Ring doorbell camera footage shows a white man threatening to kill a Black mother and daughter who moved into a Gresham, Oregon apartment earlier this year.
Nubrittany Smith told KOIN 6 that she and her mom had repeatedly received threats from their 19-year-old neighbor, Dominic Austin, since moving into the Landings at Morrison Apartments in June.
Threats of rape, racial slurs, and death were all captured in footage from Smith’s Ring Security Camera.
“You have to make sure you look outside your peep-hole. You look at your Ring camera before you exit your home,” Smith said. “Honestly, it’s like you live inside of a jail or something.”
One video shows Austin saying “You’re about to get murdered.” Another tenant told the local outlet that they’d seen the 19-year-old wielding a knife.
“We were terrified, we were upset, we didn’t know what was going on,” Smith said. “Instantly, we took the videos from the Ring camera, attached them to an email, and sent them to the Landings at the Morrison.”
Warning: Explicit
Smith said they’ve been notifying police and property management of the threats since June 30, the day after the first incident, but nothing was done for months.
“Part of the rental agreement says that if a tenant should threaten another tenant, the landlord can throw the offender out in 24 hours notice,” Attorney Greg Kafoury said.
An eviction notice was just recently filed against Austin last week, according to documents obtained by KOIN 6. Kafoury said police and property management failed to protect the mother and daughter.
“The people who run this very large apartment complex didn’t give a damn,” Kafoury said. “The police didn’t give a damn. And I don’t know how anyone can look at those videos and come to any other conclusion.”
“As a Black woman, we, (my mother and me), I felt that we weren’t heard,” Smith added. “I feel that we were not important.”
According to court records, Austin was also arrested last week on one count of menacing and 10 counts of violating a stalking protective order. Another neighbor filed a temporary protective order against Austin in August for similar threats that Smith and her mother faced.
Gresham police said they are still investigating Smith’s complaints.
“We are aware of the terrible conduct of the suspect in this case, including statements that indicate the motivation for the crime is hate or bias. We share in our communities’ concern and appreciate the unique impact bias crimes, in particular, have on victims,” the police department said in a statement. “Although the suspect has been arrested and is currently in custody, the investigation is continuing. We are working with the district attorney’s office to ensure the suspect is charged with the appropriate crimes.”
“As with all cases where a concern about our response is brought to our attention, we will review our response to identify ways to improve our service to the community,” police added.
Smith said she still doesn’t feel safe in her community.
“Because he’s in jail today but I don’t know what tomorrow is going to be. He could be released at any time. Then what happens next?”
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