“I was just sitting there, they pulled up and I saw the car open. I immediately just ran away and you could see that in the video that I was running before the shots even fired.”
A Cleveland real estate agent’s promotional video took a sudden turn Thursday afternoon when gunfire erupted near him while he was filming outside a home on Thornhill Drive, sending him sprinting away as the camera kept filming.
The video quickly spread virally, racking up more than 2.4 million views in less than a day and drawing fresh attention to repeated reports of gun violence in the neighborhood near Forest Hills Park.
Aiden Avtgis, a team lead with ReMax Infinity, said he was recording content in front of a property when a vehicle pulled up nearby. Before shots were even heard, he said he sensed something was wrong and started running.
"I was just sitting there, they pulled up and I saw the car open. I immediately just ran away and you could see that in the video that I was running before the shots even fired," Avtgis said to local outlet News 5.
Police were contacted shortly after the incident. Cleveland police calls-for-service data shows there have been at least two shots-fired reports on Thornhill Drive within the past seven days.
Avtgis said he understands the footage could hurt interest in homes in the area, but said the reality of what happened matters more than protecting sales. "This is real life," Avtgis said.
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He added that people investing in neighborhoods dealing with violent crime should understand the risks tied to those areas.
"If you're investing in these areas, I think you need to be aware of the consequences of what can happen. Something needs to change," Avtgis said.
Residents in the area say the gunfire is not unusual. Neighbor Michael Nonley said safety concerns have pushed him to consider leaving the neighborhood altogether.
"I'm not safe, in fact I'm looking to move," Nonley said. Cleveland police have not yet released additional details about Thursday’s shooting.
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