UPDATE: Man found shot to death in Alton Park, woman shot in separate incident

Chattanooga police respond to a shooting on 37th Street on Thanksgiving Day.
Chattanooga police respond to a shooting on 37th Street on Thanksgiving Day.

A man was found dead in 3600 block of Central Avenue this afternoon from multiple gun shot wounds, becoming Chattanooga's 29th homicide of the year.

photo Chattanooga police respond to a shooting on 37th Street on Thanksgiving Day.

The man was identified as 43-year old Darrel Jones, and police said he died on the scene. Police were unable to provide suspect information, partly because, "witnesses to the incident declined to cooperate with the investigation," a release from the department said.

A man who lives on the Central Avenue, just a few doors down from the shooting near the 37th Street cross section, heard about five or six shots around 2:45 p.m. He didn't hear screeching tires or anything else.

Police said a family member of Jones found him lying face down in the street, and then called 911.

"This is a time when family is supposed to come together, enjoy one another's company, enjoy a peaceful few hours," said David Roddy, Chattanooga Police chief of staff. "Unfortunately we've got an entire family that's not going to experience that because of the ruthlessness of one of the members of our community."

This is the second homicide in the area this week. On Tuesday, Monica McMillon was killed in her home during a drive-by shooting just a few blocks away on Highland Avenue. Police have not made any arrests in that case. Roddy said the McMillon homicide and Jones homicide do not appear to be related.

In a separate incident on Thanksgiving, a 35-year-old female, Christina Strickland, arrived at a local hospital with a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the ankle.

She was unable to provide any information about the suspect or the location where the shooting occurred. Police ask anyone with information on either case to call 423-698-2525.

Contact staff writer Evan Hoopfer at ehoopfer@timesfreepress.com or @EvanHoopfer on Twitter or 423-757-6731.

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