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'Is my kid going to go to sleep afraid?': North Macon residents on edge after homicide

Jessica Struble's 10-year-old son woke up to gunshots Monday night. Later, a homeowner found a man lying in his front yard.

MACON, Ga. — A mom living off Oak Hill Court in Macon had to explain to her young children what happened after hearing gunshots Monday night. 

Jessica Struble says, "It's not something you want to open your front door and see."

The Struble family moved into Oak Hill Court in north Macon a few months ago. Generally, it's a quiet neighborhood, until Monday night. 

"The last thing you want to hear your son say is, 'Mom, I heard gunshots,'" says Struble. 

A homeowner across the street walked outside his door and found 37-year-old Michael Lewis lying in the yard. 

Neighbors called 911, but Lewis died shortly after. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office says Lewis was visiting someone in the area.

Struble says, "Do I not let him ride his bike? Do I not let him take the dog outside? I don't know what to do -- at a standstill."

To neighbors, it was a rare crime for this part of town. "It has me wondering, 'Is it coming over to north Macon, too? Is my kid going to go to sleep afraid that he's going to hear gunshots?' It could've came down the window," says Struble. 

The sheriff's office is still working on identifying the shooter, leaving the Struble family on edge. 

"It's something that I'm still going to be turning on my home security system on every night again, but home security doesn't stop a bullet from coming in your window," says Struble. 

Friends of Lewis' told 13WMAZ off camera that Lewis worked as a chef at several restaurants in downtown Macon, he loved listening to music around town, and they called him a good friend. 

Bibb County had 42 homicides in 2018. That number dropped to 25 last year. This is the first homicide of the new year.

RELATED: UPDATE | Victim identified in north Macon homicide

RELATED: Bibb County's per capita shooting rate in 2019 nearly equaled Chicago's

RELATED: Bibb County sees over 40% drop in 2019 homicides compared to 2018

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