Imagine the surprise of a 12-year-old-boy who was sitting in his bedroom of his family's upstairs apartment on East 9th street, when at around 12:40 Saturday morning, a bullet hit him in the chest.

"Fortunately, the bullet had lost velocity, going through both those -- the wall and the floor, and he wasn't seriously injured, although he did take a bullet to his chest. This was a very dangerous situation. We're very fortunate that he was not seriously injured," Chief of Police for the Erie Fire Department, Dan Spizarny said.

The fact that there is no serious injury is very fortunate, but still is disturbing for Father Jerry Priscaro, the neighborhood watch coordinator.

"The days of living in your own little world are over and what we have to do is convince people to be aware of their surroundings at all times, [and] be aware that crime can happen anywhere," Priscaro said. 

Chief Spizarny says this crime shows gunfire on the street can easily hurt an innocent victim. They're asking for those in the community for any information that leads to the shooters.

"If neighbors of the 11th hundred East 9th, if they heard anything themselves, if they have cameras or maybe slept through it, they have a chance to go back and look, they might find a valuable clue for us," 

Priscaro's hoping neighbors step up to help.

"Certainly there must of been someone in that area at that time, that saw things, and also was aware of what was going on. . .They can be of great help, and they can report the information confidentially to police or the District Attorney's office," Priscaro said.