HIGH POINT, N.C. — Over the weekend, a High Point hotel was surrounded by police investigating a homicide.
"I was hoping that wouldn't happen, but it did, and so that just kind of gave me more incentive to continue forward with this," Oakview resident, Jim Bronnert said.
On Saturday morning, High Point police responded to InTown Suites on North Main Street where Kelvin Blackwell Jr. was found dead.
Officers arrested and charged Refugio Morales with first-degree murder.
Police said the crime was an isolated incident, and there is no ongoing threat to the community. Additionally, Blackwell and Morales have no history with local law enforcement.
This is the type of crime Bronnert said he's been trying to prevent. He lives close to the InTown Suites. He's been worried about the array of crimes that's unfolded there for years.
"It's frustrating, it's really frustrating," he continued, "everybody wants to live in a safe neighborhood, and we all deserve to be in a safe neighborhood. High Point deserves to be a safe place to live."
Police say since 2022, they've responded to 979 calls for service, of these calls, they say 520 were self-initiated by officers.
Of the hundreds of calls police have responded to at the hotel, suspicious vehicles and domestic disturbances are at the top of the list. Due to the high number of calls, police are making more stops and checking in on people in the area.
"It's been a priority for the police to learn that this morning. There's been a lot of self-initiated calls from the police. I have a feeling that extended stay folks experiencing homelessness and the struggles and all that, I think over time maybe it's become kind of a place where people can go and do things they probably shouldn't," High Point City Councilman, Dr. Patrick Harman, explained.
The hotel is in Councilman Harman's ward. He's aware of the situation and has been doing his own homework to see what the options are.
"There's nuisance abatement that's been done here in High Point actually just over here. I just read this morning in Charlotte. They bought a hotel like this and planning on knocking it down and putting some affordable housing there. Again, I'm not saying the city is going to do these things, but that's what's in the toolbox and how can we address the situation and be compassionate at the same time," Councilman Harman explained.
As of right now neither community members nor city leaders have the perfect solution. Yet they're hoping an upcoming meeting will bring about some results, for the city's sake.
"It'll be very disappointing. and I don't know where we will go from here. Then if the city can't do anything, or do very little to solve it, then I don't know what the next step would be," said Bronnert.
Bronnert said the Oakview Citizens Council has had its eyes on the hotel for years now. Recent crimes have sparked their concern yet again. They're planning a meeting with city leaders in February.
WFMY News 2 reached out to InTown Suites Corporate about these calls for crime, we have not heard back yet.