Two dark red patches of blood, laden with flies stain the front lawn of one house in the 1500 block of West 27th Street.

Early Monday morning Nicole Allensworth, a resident of the home, heard a dog barking followed by a gunshot.

“Then I heard a bunch of dogs barking and a car driving off,” she said.

Allensworth said she immediately called 911.

“I just wanted them to get here as soon as possible. I didn’t know if it was a person down or what,” she said. “I opened my door and police were already here.”

Three times on Monday morning, three armed men approached different victims at three locations in southwest Lawrence and stole from them, said Lawrence Police Capt. Anthony Brixius. The one man robbed near Allensworth’s house also had his dog shot and killed as part of the robbery. The suspects remain at large.

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The robberies took place between 4:55 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., Brixius said.

The chronological order of the robberies was not immediately clear Monday, and Brixius said he could not clarify a timeline.

A shotgun was used during each of the three robberies, Brixius said.

One robbery took place southeast of Hy-Vee at 3504 Clinton Parkway, Brixius said. There, a man was approached by three armed men.

A second robbery took place near the Holcom Sports Complex at 2700 W. 27th St., Brixius said. Another man was approached by three armed men who demanded his property.

And a third robbery took place in the 1500 block of West 27th Street, Brixius said. A man was out walking his dog when the suspects approached him, displayed the shotgun and shot the dog to death.

Sam Springer, who lives across the street from Allensworth, said her 24-year-old daughter heard a loud noise early Monday morning but did not think anything of it and went back to sleep.

Later that morning Springer said her husband looked outside to see crime scene tape and police across the street. Police then came by the house to let them know what happened.

Jamie Miller, who also lives across the street, said she didn’t hear anything in the morning hours but was surprised to learn of the robbery and the shooting.

Miller and Springer have lived in the area for years and said it’s common to see people walking up and down the sidewalks.

“It does cause an unease,” Springer said of the Monday morning events.

Miller said she plans to start taking care to lock up her property moving forward, while Springer said her family already makes sure to protect their belongings.

“We already lock our doors all the time because we don’t trust anybody,” she said.

Allensworth, shaken up and speaking softly through her cracked front door, said the morning’s events scared her and she plans to call police quickly at any future signs of unrest.

“And to just pay attention more to my surroundings,” she said.

Police believe all three robberies involve the same suspects, one of whom is described as 6 feet tall, thin, with dark skin and wearing a dark hoodie with a baseball hat, possibly with a red bill, Brixius said. The suspects are also believed to be “associated with a small SUV.” The SUV had a bright yellow vanity plate on the front, police said.

Further information was not immediately available. Brixius did not clarify whether any victims were injured.

Anyone with information on the incidents is encouraged to call Douglas County Crime Stoppers at 785-843-8477 or the Lawrence Police Department at 785-832-7501.

The investigation into the robberies is ongoing.

Early Saturday morning one person was injured during a home-invasion robbery in the 1800 block of Missouri Street, said Lawrence Police Sgt. Laurie Powell. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Powell said Saturday’s robbery is not believed to be connected to the three robberies Monday morning. She could not provide further information about the incident.