NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Around two dozen shots fired in a South Nashville shootout between employees of a car lot and suspected car thieves earlier this week left neighbors in the area concerned about their safety. 

The shooting happened just before 2:15 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 3 in the 3000 block of Nolensville Pike, officials said.

A nearby neighbor’s surveillance camera captured audio from the incident, including the sound of dozens of shots fired within a matter of seconds.  

“When I listened to the tape, I was shaking. I hear a very frightening amount of shots, 26 shots in I would say 15 seconds, which is really, really frightening,” District 16 Councilmember Ginny Welsch told News 2.

Neighbors are calling it reckless and excessive, which a concern Welsch has heard from her constituents. 

“It was a shootout in the neighborhood,” she stated. 

The gun battle started over a vehicle theft at a used car lot on Nolensville Pike, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department, leading to the shootout with employees of the business.

“There are many, many houses within a very short distance around that business on Nolensville Pike,” said Welsch.

A diagram drawn by a neighbor shows more than two dozen homes within a 500 foot radius of the car lot. 

“That’s very, very frightening to think you are that close to 26 bullets fired in rapid secession,” the councilmember added.

One neighbor is questioning a firefight over property with his 9-year-old child’s bedroom — which the father has since rearranged — in the line of sight for flying bullets. 

“You don’t expect in the middle of the night to, all of a sudden, have your life and the life of your children be in danger from random gunfire, and you should be able to go to bed at night and not have worry that that might happen,” said Welsch. 

The councilmember and neighbors still have a lot of unanswered questions as the used car lot remained closed on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Welsch said she will continue to look into the turn of events and see if there is anything she can do.

“We hear gunfire around here all the time. I just feel like we are so, as a society, we are so gun-happy and I don’t understand why we have such easy access to guns and I don’t know why we don’t have harsher punishments for using guns this way. It’s really frightening.”

Metro police said 20-year-old Anthony Thomas and a 17-year-old suspect were injured in the shootout and will be arrested for vehicle theft following their release from the hospital.

In addition, a 23-year-old backseat passenger of the stolen car exited the vehicle prior to the shooting, but it’s unclear if they will be charged. 

However, the car lot employees were not hurt in the shooting, which is still under investigation.