Chattanooga police investigate 3 separate shootings in one night

Crime scene tape is seen left in front of 411 Central Drive on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017.
Crime scene tape is seen left in front of 411 Central Drive on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017.

It was a regular Sunday afternoon for some people who lived near the scenes of three separate shootings in Chattanooga the night before.

The first shooting took place some time shortly before 1:26 a.m. in the 400 block of Central Drive.

Police were called to Sky Zoo, a nightclub on Brainerd Road, where they found Jelani Sorrell, 33, who had been shot multiple times. He was taken to a local hospital and was in critical condition, according to a police news release. He told police the shooting took place on Central Drive.

Several cars were parked on the street in front of midsized homes in the quiet neighborhood Sunday afternoon. Neighbors there like to get together to get to know each other, said a woman who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation.

She said she was getting ready to go to work at around 5 a.m. when she saw several police cars on the street.

"I checked the police blotter and it said it was a house [nearby]," she said. She added that the people who live there don't participate in the neighborhood get-togethers, and she and her husband see cars coming and going from that house, which they think is suspicious.

Though the shooting happened very close to her home, she said she's not too concerned for her family's safety.

"We've lived here 17 years, and nothing like that has happened here," she said. "Hopefully it's a one-off thing."

The second shooting took place just after 3 a.m. in the 2000 block of Ocoee Street in the Avondale community. Small, older houses line the narrow street.

Police were called to a local hospital after LaSandra Burdette, 26, arrived for treatment of a gunshot wound. Investigators learned Burdette was involved in a minor crash moments before she was shot and said the suspect was in the other vehicle.

Sunday afternoon, a neighbor stood on the front porch of her home after returning from church. She also asked to be anonymous for fear of retaliation.

She said her grandchildren heard the shots.

"They were in the house playing video games and told me this morning they thought it was their game," she said, adding that the last shooting for that area took place in June on Stanfiel Street, one block away.

Joshua Ferrell was on a porch with some friends as children played in the fenced-in front yard Sunday afternoon. He said he was in bed when he heard seven or eight shots the night before.

Shootings aren't too common for that street, he said, but a few blocks down they become more frequent. Usually, it's gang-related or a drug deal gone bad, he said.

"You don't get scared, you get nervous. And you don't get nervous unless it hits your house," he said.

About 20 minutes after the Ocoee Street shooting, the last shooting of the night was reported on the other side of town on Gunbarrel Road at the Parc 1346 Apartments. The complex is a large, gated community.

Police arrived at around 3:35 a.m. and found Cameron Wiggins, 28, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a local hospital in serious condition. Further details were not available before press time.

Police ask anyone with information regarding any of these incidents to call 423-698-2525. Callers can remain anonymous.

Contact staff writer Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327. Follow her on Twitter@HughesRosana.

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