Hail of bullets like the 'Fourth of July' leaves two injured in Chattanooga

This house at 1009 N. Hawthorne St. was the scene of a shooting Tuesday night that wounded a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man. Nearby houses and cars were also damaged in what witnesses described as a hail of bullets.
This house at 1009 N. Hawthorne St. was the scene of a shooting Tuesday night that wounded a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man. Nearby houses and cars were also damaged in what witnesses described as a hail of bullets.

Jasmine Glover hit the floor Tuesday night when the shots rang out near her home on North Hawthorne Street.

The shooting lasted only four or five minutes, but in that time, Glover said, she heard as many as 40 shots. And they were closer than ever before.

"It was like the Fourth of July," she said, shaking her head.

On Wednesday, she couldn't take her child to school because the front two tires on her car had been shot out.

The situation "was crazy," Glover said.

photo A bullet hole is visible in a house at 1009 N. Hawthorne St. after a shooting Tuesday night.
photo A car was also damaged in Tuesday night's shooting on North Hawthorne Street.

Two teenagers were injured in the shootout, which happened around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. A 16-year-old girl and 18-year-old Malik Blackstock were shot. The girl will not be identified because she is a minor. None of their injuries are life-threatening, according to Chattanooga police.

The shooters were apparently targeting people in the house across the street from Glover, which was riddled with bullet holes. Neighbors said young people often hang out at that house, and that the home is a known gathering place for gang members and drug dealers.

Police have not said whether the shooting was gang-related. Witnesses said police found what looked like an AK-47 on the ground after the shooting, but investigators would not confirm or deny that on Wednesday.

"They were shooting to kill," said neighbor Jimmie Harper. He added that the shooters were on foot.

One of the bullets smashed into next-door neighbor Timothy Newson's home. He and his wife were getting ready for bed when the shooting started. After the bullets stopped flying, Newson went outside and saw one person lying on the ground. Someone asked them to call 911.

Newson estimated he heard about 10 or 12 shots. He said shootings are common in the neighborhood, where he's lived for 25 years. So far this year, there have been four other shootings on North Hawthorne and the adjacent streets.

But Tuesday's shooting was frightening even for residents who are used to gunshots.

Neighbor Robert Cash said he was in bed when the shooting started. He guessed he heard 40 shots, but said that sometimes the shooting noise echoes in the alley near his house and it could have been fewer.

He said he stayed in bed and waited for the police to arrive Tuesday.

"When there are young people involved, and gunfire, those bullets don't have no eyes," Cash said.

Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas.

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