DALLAS — "You could hear the shots," said Alendra Lyons.
She was in bed on Saturday night after 11:00 p.m. when she heard the first round of gunfire.
She said it stopped, but two hours later, Lyons recalls, "It sounded like a warzone."
Dallas police confirm they were called to shots reported at a party late Saturday night. They said the gunfire stopped when police arrived, and officers stayed nearby to monitor.
A few hours later, a mass shooting occurred. Nine people were shot. Coriesha Bradford, 21, died. The eight others injured are expected to survive.
Alendra grew up in the neighborhood. She left after high school, but returned 12 years ago to the home she grew up in.
"It doesn't have to be like this so it has been a mission for improvement, to make it better," she said.
In 2012, Lyons established the Mill City Community Association. Her organization is working to better the neighborhood, known as Mill City.
On one side of the street, a community garden brings people together. Family gatherings and teaching events are held at the garden.
At the end of Collins Avenue, the association purchased 18 vacant lots to build affordable housing, allowing neighbors to own and take care of their street.
The next mission for the association is to hire 24/7 policing, but Lyons is still looking for private donors to make that happen.
Lyons said she is also eager to meet with Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia and City Councilman Adam Bazaldua to discuss the response to the shooting over the weekend.
She said she believes there was a failure in law enforcement response. She said police should have broken up the party the first time they were called to the scene.
"They were in error for not telling them that they need to leave," Lyons said. "It was totally out of order."
The Dallas Police Department is now conducting an internal review to see if the department could have handled the call differently. Garcia plans to speak after the review is complete.