Gunfire at bus stop sends students scrambling for cover in South Chattanooga

One shooter in custody, another on the loose

City employee Ed Blaylock picks up a stolen car from a parking lot at the East Lake Courts on Tuesday morning, Oct. 13, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The car is believed to have been used during an 8 a.m. incident on 38th Street near the Bethlehem Center.
City employee Ed Blaylock picks up a stolen car from a parking lot at the East Lake Courts on Tuesday morning, Oct. 13, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The car is believed to have been used during an 8 a.m. incident on 38th Street near the Bethlehem Center.

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Suspects questioned after gunfire threatens students at bus stop

At least one gunman opened fire this morning at a Chattanooga school bus stop where elementary, middle and high school students were waiting for the bus.

The kids ran for cover behind nearby houses and dove into porches. No one was hit during the drive-by, which happened across from the Bethlehem Center at 225 W. 38th Street.

The gang-related incident happened around 8:20 a.m., according to police.

"I saw one little boy's legs dangling off someone's porch," said Latoya Hunt, who was across the street when the shooting started. "He was trying to hop over it. He was scared...he was just dangling."

photo Howard students walk along 38th Street after arriving in a school bus on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 13, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. A shooting toward a group of students waiting for school buses happened near this spot on Tuesday morning. No one was wounded in the shooting that police believe is gang related.

Witnesses reported hearing between five and 20 shots and said the shooter never stopped. Several houses were hit with bullets. It appears some kids at the bus stop had some sort of warning as the shooter approached - witness said the students started to run seconds before the first shots were fired.

Police responded immediately, Chief Fred Fletcher said. Investigators have one suspect in custody and are currently searching for a second suspect.

A man who asked not to be identified said a school bus arrived shortly after the shooter was gone.

"[The kids] jumped on that bus like it was the safest place to be," he said.

"They ran to that bus to get on it, so you know they were scared," another woman agreed.

The neighborhood is now bracing for retaliatory violence, Hunt said.

"It ain't over," she said, shaking her head.

Fletcher said police will have extra officers in the neighborhood today and called the shooting unacceptable.

"When someone terrorizes any neighborhood, it offends me," he said.

The daily drumbeat of gunfire in Chattanooga hasn't paused since Friday. Five people were shot through Monday. Though no one was hit in today's incident, the attempted shooting marks five days in a row in which gunfire has disrupted the lives of Chattanooga residents.

So far this year, there have been 107 shootings in Chattanooga and 17 gun-related homicides.

Stay with the TImes Free Press for updates on this developing story.

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