Cortez SimsKnoxville police and U.S. marshals staked out the house where a Chattanooga slaying suspect was hiding for several hours before he came out and was arrested Friday morning, Chattanooga police said.
Cortez Sims, 17, the suspect in Wednesday's deadly apartment shooting, was arrested around 11:35 a.m. Friday after a two-day manhunt.
Police believe Sims entered an apartment in College Hill Courts around 1 a.m. Wednesday and opened fire, killing 20-year-old Talitha Bowman and wounding three others: a 1-year-old girl, her mother and an 18-year-old man.
The surviving adults identified Sims as the shooter, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation put him on its Top 10 Most Wanted list Thursday.
He has been charged with first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Police could not immediately say why Sims went to Knoxville. They also weren't sure whether Sims, a known gang member, was staying with family, friends or with other members of his gang in the Knoxville house.
Chattanooga Police Department Chief Fred Fletcher said he believes Sims was unarmed when he was taken into custody without incident.
Fletcher said he made the search a priority for the police department and received help from several other agencies, including the TBI and the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office.
"We used every resource, every hour and every person that we could to take the suspect into custody without further violence," he said, adding later, "I cannot say enough how tragic this violence is and how our hearts go out to the victims and families of the survivors."
Doctors still don't know whether Zoey Duncan, the 1-year-old shot in the attack, will be paralyzed or make a complete recovery, her uncle Derrick Shaw said Thursday.
After learning about the arrest, Shaw said he wasn't sure how he felt.
"I'm not rejoicing in the fact, but I am satisfied," he said. "Everyone's family is hurting right now, including his."
Sims will be booked into Hamilton County Juvenile Court. The Times Free Press generally does not release the names of minors charged with crimes, but police received a judge's permission to release the name because of a perceived threat to public safety.
Bowman is the third person killed in Chattanooga so far in 2015.
Contact staff reporter Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas.