Whidbey Island, WA — A Langley road, where many families live, is where a homeowner says a masked man armed with a shotgun climbed through a window late Monday night.
The gunman pointed the weapon at people in the home without saying anything, then briefly searched the house before leaving.
"This neighborhood is great, a lot of families, a lot of kids," said Caspian Kuschnereit, who lives a few houses away with his family.
"You don't expect the big-city crime to be coming to the island, but in my opinion, everything is going to crap, so it's gonna start happening on the island as it is," he said.
Earlier this month, and just a few miles away, a masked man also armed with a shotgun robbed a gas station clerk. Surveillance video shows him aggressively pointing the long barrel over the counter as he demands money.
Detectives say they haven't found any reason to believe the robberies are connected, but they're not ruling out the possibility,
These aren't the only unsolved crimes keeping people on edge.
Sixteen South Whidbey homes have been burglarized since November, compared to two reported burglaries in the same period last year.
"It's pretty surprising, it's really surprising, really," said Jordan Dow, who has lived on the island most of his life.
Dow says homeowners are spending the holidays alert—even armed.
"A lot of people have concealed weapons permits on this island--a lot of people," he said.
KIRO
