MALTA, N.Y. (WRGB) — One day after a deadly officer-involved shooting at a Malta apartment complex, evacuated residents returned briefly on Friday—not to move back in, but to retrieve belongings as restoration crews remained on site.

At Ellsworth Commons apartments, Building 2 remains unsafe to occupy after the sprinkler system was somehow activated during Thursday’s police response.

Displaced residents told CBS6 it’s not just about when they can return home, but whether they’ll feel safe again when they do.

“I gotta say—it’s the scariest situation I’ve ever been in,” said Diana Euceda, a resident of Building 2.

According to state police, Brandon Moore, 37, barricaded himself inside his apartment Thursday morning after a reported domestic dispute.

During the standoff, police say Moore emerged with what appeared to be a handgun and refused to drop the weapon. Police say he aimed the weapon at troopers and that’s when he was fatally shot.

His weapon was later identified as a CO2 powered BB pistol, which was loaded.

However, residents in the building were evacuated not because of gunfire, but what came after when the sprinkler system was activated, causing flooding inside. Police say the cause of the activation is still under investigation.

BRIANA SUPARDI: “What’s the status with everything in terms of returning back home?”

DIANA EUCEDA:“I’m not sure, I just hope everything‘s OK and that my stuff is OK, but for now, I guess I just want to feel safe again in my apartment that’s really the only concern that I have.”

The sense of fear among residents was heightened by the fact that Thursday’s police-involved shooting came less than 24 hours after a separate deadly police-involved shooting at the New York State barracks. The two locations are located roughly half a mile apart.

“Everything’s been peaceful until the last 24 hours– but craziness right now. I mean the other day with the police barracks shooting. I heard about that and that put a lot of fright in me,” said Michael O’Connor, evacuated resident from Building 2.

“Obviously, living here in Malta, I didn’t think that any sort of gun violence or any gun related incidents was something I had to worry about here at my apartment complex, but I guess now I got to keep a higher guard up and really pay attention when walking down the hallways,” said Justin Meyle, a resident at Building 2.