For more than six hours many of those who live in Bedford Loop Apartments in Fayetteville were forced out of their homes while SWAT teams swarmed the neighborhood.
Neighbors remember how their lives were in danger seconds leading up to the standoff between their neighbor Sergio Andrade and law enforcement.
“And he came up and he was waving the gun at me and my friend`s faces like running up the stairs and then he went in there,” said Destinee Deadmond, who lives directly downstairs from Andrade.
Some neighbors saw the police chase, Andrade run into his apartment, starting the six hour standoff.
“Actually I almost got hit by the guy driving the van. We pulled in the apartment complex and when we went to get out he actually came back around the corner speeding and pulled into the apartment complex over here,” said Douglas Baker.
Tear gas shot into Andrade's apartment. Around 10 shots in total, and not one according to police, made him surrender. The power and water were also shut off.
Neighbors far from the scene felt the effects of the tear gas and were tired wondering when it was all going to end.
“I was scared because I had my kids with me. I was the only one inside the apartments at the time and I couldn`t pick up both of them up and run with them,” said Latasha Williams.
Police updated neighbors at times but the memories of trying to survive in the middle of gun fire will always be fresh in their minds.
“He had me running when they were shooting. I just saw police coming with big shot guns and stuff and they were shooting the whole time while we were running, you can hear it,” said Williams.
The apartment manager said even after all the tear gas shot last night, living at the complex is safe except for the apartment Andrade lived in with his girlfriend.