Ooltewah man charged with murder for shooting son-in-law

Glen Allen Donaldson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Glen Allen Donaldson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
photo Glen Allen Donaldson has been charged with first-degree murder.

UPDATE at 9:15 a.m.:

A 56-year-old Ooltewah man who called 911 and told the dispatcher he'd shot his son-in-law on Thursday has been charged with first-degree murder.

Glen Donaldson told the dispatcher he'd shot his son-in-law Adam Kenneth Levi at Levi's home in the 3900 block of Niles Terrace in Ooltewah around 9 p.m. When the dispatcher asked if Levi was still alive, Donaldson replied, "I doubt it," according to an affidavit.

Deputies arrived at the home to find Levi dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

Donaldson claimed his son-in-law threatened him with a knife while standing at the kitchen sink, so he shot the man out of fear for his own life.

However, deputies did not find a knife near Levi's body, and the gunshot wound was "inconsistent with a self-defense shot," records show.

Relatives told police that Levi and Donaldson's daughter were going through a divorce.

Donaldson declined to be interviewed by police without first speaking to an attorney, saying he thought that was best, "after what he had done."

He was booked into the Hamilton County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

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UPDATE at 10:38 p.m.: The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office has detained a shooting suspect in an apparent homicide in Ooltewah.

The incident occurred near the 3900 block of Niles Terrace. Authorities are withholding the victim's name, pending notification of next of kin.

HCSO spokesman Matt Lea said in email that the investigators do not believe the shooting is gang-related and the public is not at risk at this time.

"This is a very active investigation and the cause of the shooting has yet to be determined," Lea said.

New information may not be released until Friday afternoon, he said.

The news comes just more than an hour after a person was reported to have been shot approximately 2 miles away. It is unclear at this time whether the two incidents are related.

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Original Report at 9:45 p.m.: An ambulance is on the scene in response to a person shot call in Collegedale.

Hamilton County 911 dispatch records places the incident at 9:08 p.m. in the 9300 block of Apison Pike.

Although 911 records show Collegedale police responded, Cpl. David Myrick, the department's spokesman, said the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office is handling the matter.

The sheriff's office could not be reached for comment.

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