ATLANTA — 11Alive is continuing to follow up with the safety concerns of Georgia State University students on campus.
On Monday night, shots were fired again near campus for the third time in the span of a month.
A spokesperson for Atlanta Police said there were gunshots and a traffic accident at Edgewood and Piedmont Avenue. Investigators are working to determine how and if the traffic accident is related to the shooting.
Students told 11Alive they thought the recently shut down RaceTrac gas station was the root of the problem, but now, some say they believe the shootings are just spreading out.
Sophomore Anthony Martinez shot a video of the scene on his phone.
"I was coming back from the gym. And I saw Atlanta Police Department and GSU Police," Martinez said.
Students, such as Aditi Ramachandra, are shrugging off this news because they said they're used to it.
"I just wish it wasn't so normalized for us. It's like something we have to, like, just be okay and like, learn to live with," Ramachandra said.
GSU Police Chief Anthony Coleman said the two vehicles got into a shootout. One of the cars hit a pole. And a GSU bus was tapped. No students were injured. Despite the incident, he said that, overall, crime is going down.
"It's been really quiet since the Racetrac is shut down," Coleman said. "And I'm going to say that. And I'm going to knock on wood."
The gas station closed three weeks ago after a man was shot and killed around the area. A company spokesperson said that significant public safety issues affecting the area prompted the closure.
But now, Sumedha Budaraju is beginning to think the crime is just moving somewhere else.
"We just had a shooting last night, like right over there," Budaraju said. "It wasn't like, you know, the Racetrac's still closed. So, like, I don't really know if it's helping."
Coleman said the campus is working with the city to help improve safety. He said they've increased the police presence, and their security upgrades are a never-ending process.
"You're downtown in a major metropolitan city," Coleman said. "And you just, you cannot predict human behavior."
Sophomore Aasha Kodukula is looking for more — such as added security guards and escorts for students.
"Even though there's a cop car, there are still shootings," Kodukula said.
Ramachandra said safety to her means walking her campus at night, staying out of harm's way, and going more than two weeks without seeing yellow crime tape.
"It shouldn't be like that on a college campus," Ramachandra said. "We should feel safe getting an education."
Chief Coleman said there are more security improvements on the way, such as more lighting, more cameras and upgrades to secure campus buildings.