One man called 911 Friday alerting police to men in ski masks lurking in Hope Valley Farms area.
The 911 system wasn't working correctly that night. Within a 48 hour period, two crimes occurred.
Shots were fired into a garage door and a car by men in ski masks robbing people in their neighborhood.
Durham Police are worried a bullet will hit someone before the suspects are caught, so they are using the reverse 911 system to alert the community.
Rebecca Ives got the message and an email from her homeowners' association, which is warning everyone to be cautious and aware of their surroundings at all times.
"It's disconcerning," Ives said. "It makes you very nervous for your own safety but at the same time it also makes you a little bit angry because you shouldn't have to worry about that when you're coming back to your own home."
One victim tells Eyewitness News, he and his girlfriend pulled into their driveway Sunday night when they were robbed at gunpoint and shot at.
"I was going around the other side of the car to check on her and I heard the pop, pop, pop sounds," he said.
Another victim says after giving the guys directions they robbed him at gunpoint, shot at him too as they took off.
The bullet hit the back windshield of his car and ricocheted up to a neighbor's window.
"At that point I was like wow; these guys are really out to kill someone," he said.
"I think it definitely makes people worried and certainly very aware of their surroundings if they weren't before," Ives said.
The suspects have been described as three or four black males, in their late teens to mid-twenties driving a dark colored sedan, armed with a handgun."
Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator Coghill at 560-1020, ext. 230 or CrimeStoppers at 683-1200.
