The Elmira Police Department is handling a homicide investigation after a man was found dead Thursday morning. Our Bill Mich has more.

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ELMIRA, N.Y. – Neighbors we spoke to throughout the day said when they heard the loud bangs coming from outside their homes, they simply assumed it was people continuing the Fourth of July celebration. They were shocked when they found out what actually occurred.

"I thought it was just a bunch of fire crackers. I didn’t really realize that something else was happening,” said an Elmira resident.

Elmira police say that what did happen was a man was shot and killed outside of building number one at the Eastgate Apartment Complex. They received a 911 call around 7:15 a.m. Thursday with reports of an unresponsive man. Upon arrival, authorities were quickly able to determine the man was dead.

“I got up this morning and looked out my bedroom window and saw the cops and then I walked around the corner and that’s when I saw the body laying on the ground,” Elliott Beardsley said.

The body was removed around 11:30 a.m. Thursday and police worked through the afternoon recreating the scene for their investigation. And while authorities work to get to the bottom of what happened, neighbors remain stunned that something like this could happen to close to home.

“It’s scary and it should not happen, it should not happen,” an Elmira resident said.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call (607) 271-HALT.