Staff Photo by Adam Crisp
A Chattanooga Housing Authority officer fatally shot a suspect Wednesday evening near East Lake Courts. The officer, responding to a disturbance, ordered the armed man to drop his gun, but he refused, and the officer shot him.

The Chattanooga Housing Officer involved in Wedneday night’s shooting was responding to sounds of shots fired when he encountered an armed gunman.

Lt. Erik Reeves of the Chattanooga Housing Authority’s Public Safety Division said that he was on bike patrol around 8:40 p.m. in East Lake Courts when he heard shots fired by what sounded like at least two different guns, according to Sgt. Jerri Weary, public information officer with the Chattanooga Police Department.

Lt Reeves said he abandoned his bike to investigate when he came upon two men in a dispute. Upon seeing Lt. Reeves, the two suspects attempted to run into a nearby apartment but couldn’t gain entry. Lt Reeves said it was at this time that he noticed that one of the suspects had a gun. Lt. Reeves said he gave repeated commands to drop the gun but the suspect instead raised his gun causing Reeves to fire at him.

The suspect, identified as 15-year-old Alonzo O’Kelley Jr., was taken to Erlanger hospital where he died of a single gunshot wound to the upper body. Another juvenile was taken into custody immediately after the shooting and is believed to be connected to the initial incident.

Investigators with the Chattanooga Police Department obtained information that O’Kelley and another juvenile were involved in a shooting incident in the 2600 block of 4th Avenue with multiple occupants of two vehicles just before Lt. Reeves encountered them, Sgt. Weary said.

Crime scene investigators recovered multiple shell casings believed to have been fired from the two vehicles and also recovered a gun believed to be O’Kelley’s.

The investigation into both shooting incidents will continue.