PITTSBURGH — Neighbors are still dealing with home repairs and insurance claims a full two months after an active shooter terrorized a Pittsburgh neighborhood, sending bullets flying into multiple homes.
“My house was just destroyed,” said Jackie Lane, whose home is attached to the house from which William Hardison Sr. opened fire on Broad Street on Aug. 23.
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Lane showed Channel 11 gaping apparent bullet holes on the wall that she and the shooter, shared. Several other houses had visible holes to their exteriors. A worker was spotted replacing windows on a home with significant damage on Monday.
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While Lane said she has had some repairs completed, there is a substantial amount of work to be done, and several claims that have yet to be accepted. She said that she is disappointed in State Farm, her insurance company.
“The last six weeks after the shooting, no responses from the insurance company, no phone calls from the agents. I begged them to come over and look at the damages,” Lane said.
She said it wasn’t until early October that she was finally visited by a company representative.
“I’m older, I’m frustrated, we’ve been traumatized. It’s just not easy doing simple things at this time, even getting quotes. So, it’s just been a challenge, a real challenge,” Lane said.
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Other neighbors with damage could not be reached for comment on Monday, but Lane claimed that their insurance companies have been slow to respond, too.
A statement we received from a State Farm spokesperson reads:
“As an organization, we take pride in our customer service and are committed to paying what we owe, promptly, courteously, and efficiently. Each claim is unique and handled based on its own individual merits and the facts of the loss. We encourage any customer who has questions about their claim to reach out to us directly.”
Lane is further worried about her property value and noted that the now-condemned home from which the gunman fired has received no repair. She claimed that she has been cutting the grass.
When Channel 11 inquired about possible future restoration, a spokesperson for the City of Pittsburgh said the property is privately owned.
“You want to forget it, you want to get back to normal, and we have to walk out the door every day and look at this,” Lane said, pointing to the home.
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Lane said that she has received support from the Garfield-Bloomfield Corporation and that the city has pledged certain help and has so far been responsive.
“The city has been good,” Lane said, noting that a social worker calls her each week.
A spokesperson for the city told us the “Office of Community Health and Safety have been in the community since the beginning and will continue to do so.”
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