Editor's note: The tweets, texts and records in this story have been reproduced as they originally appeared. Comments in italics are recollections of the events.
A terrorist struck Chattanooga six months ago today.
Armed with two assault rifles and a handgun, the gunman killed five men in a calculated rampage, striking two military sites on the morning of July 16.
The bullets sent civilians and military members scrambling for cover. One Marine fled with his 6-year-old daughter in his arms. Others jumped a fence to escape. Some Marines ran back into the fight. Others quickly ushered civilians away from the bullets. Police officers shot and killed the gunman. Ambulances raced to the scene. Medical trauma teams mobilized.
The city stopped and watched with horror.
Four U.S. Marines fell that day: Sgt. Carson Holmquist, 25; Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, 40; Lance Cpl. Skip Wells, 21; and Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, 35. Mortally wounded in the attack, U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith, 26, died two days later.
In the hours afterward, blood donors crowded local facilities. Mourners created massive memorials of red, white and blue. People of all faiths filled churches for vigils, and then lined the streets during the funerals for the fallen men.
The chaos and shock of the day was reflected in text messages, tweets and emails. The sights and sounds of the day are seared into the memories of the people who witnessed the attack.
Here is a minute-by-minute recounting of July 16 - the attack, and the pain and resilience that followed.
* * *
10:45 a.m.
Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, 24, opens fire on a military recruiting center on Lee Highway.
"The gun was huge. It was really, really loud. It was numerous shots. Just, 'Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!' I was in shock. I just froze. I just sat there and watched. It was over in a couple of seconds." - Gina Mulé, waitress at Toscano Italian Grill
10:51 a.m.
The Hamilton County 911 Center receives a shots-fired call from a military recruiting center on Lee Highway and creates a computer-aided dispatch card to start the emergency response.
"I knew the shooter would have to switch weapons, change clips or reload. After about 7 to 12 seconds, I heard the break in fire and yelled to [another Marine] to run." - Gunnery Sgt. Camden Meyer
10:56 a.m.
Stephen Holloway sees a silver Mustang convertible speed past him on Amnicola Highway. The car pulls into the U.S. Naval and Marine Reserve Center.
10:58 a.m.
Hamilton County 911 receives a shots-fired call from the reserve center and starts emergency response.
"I heard a loud bang. Initially, I thought it was something in the warehouse the Marines' had dropped. Then I started hearing impacts, and it was increasing. The rate of speed, or the rate of fire was increasing." - Sgt. Jeff Cantu, U.S. Marine Corps.
10:58 a.m.
Nicholas Donahue, a clerk at a store a few doors down from the military recruiting center on Lee Highway, texts his boss, Roger Bisson.
Donahue: "I think there was a shooting in our plaza. Heard what sounded like gunshots and now the police are here. Just wanted to let you know I'm ok if you heard the news."
Bisson: "Yikes- lock the door if you need to"
11:13 a.m.
Tweet from Chattanooga Police (@ChattanoogaPD)
Developing situation. Do not travel Amnicola Hwy. #chanews roads are blocked near river park. #chanews more info once available
11:13 a.m.
Hamilton County 911 sends a text to Chattanooga police command staff.
1/2 CPD has active shooter with one suspect down not clear if any others at the Navel Reserve on Amnicola All CPD SWAT respond and someone needs to bring
2/2 the bear catSeveral parties are down 5 ambulance responding at this time
11:14 a.m.
Tweet from Chattanooga State Community College (@ChattStateCC)
Tiger Alert !!!! Main Campus: Shooting off campus nearby. Main campus on lockdown until further notice. Stay indoors.
11:18 a.m.
Hamilton County 911 sends two texts to Chattanooga police command staff.
1/2 Update 2 Victims inside the building One Officer has been injuried, shot to the legOfficers inside the building at this time 2/2 s
1/1 UPDATE- 4 Marines DOA
11:20 a.m.
The first ambulance arrives at Erlanger from the scene of the shooting.
11:27 a.m.
A second ambulance arrives at Erlanger.
"It is the kind of thing you hope you never see." - Erlanger trauma surgeon Dr. Philip Smith
11:32 a.m.
Tweet from Times Free Press reporter Kate Belz (@katebelz)
Many cop cars rushing down Amnicola. Saw ambulance barreling down Third Street with heavy police escort
11:39 a.m.
Tweet from Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke (@AndyBerke)
Horrific incident in our community. We will release details as they are confirmed. Prayers to all those affected
12:27 p.m.
Lorna Wright waits at a police roadblock at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Wilcox Boulevard for her daughter, who was working in a gas station just down the road from the reserve.
"She called me," Wright says. "She was scared. She called her dad."
Her daughter is stuck inside the police perimeter. So Wright waits by a guardrail in the 90-degree heat.
12:30 p.m.
Tweet from Mallory (@malloryshealy), representing the first reference to ChattanoogaStrong.
#ChattanoogaStrong #PrayforChatt
12:46 p.m.
Chief Fred Fletcher visits wounded Officer Dennis Pedigo in the hospital. He realizes that wounded Marine Sgt. DeMonte Cheeley is in the next bed over.
12:59 p.m.
April Grimmett, a student at Alternative Visions Hair Academy, in the same Lee Highway shopping plaza as the military recruiting center, sends a text to her friend Ally Tittle.
Grimmett: And it was so scary ally. It was really loud
Tittle: What did you do? I would have been terrified !! I'm so glad they didn't shoot your school thinking it was part of the army place
Grimmett: We ran to the back
Tittle: God I couldn't imagine
1:16 p.m.
Tweet from Chattanooga Police (@ChattanoogaPD)
Active shooter situation is over. Details forthcoming #chanews
2:10 p.m.
Tweet from Chattanooga State Community College (@ChattStateCC)
Due to the tragedy that has occurred in our vicinity, we are closing the campus for the remainder of the day.
2:15 p.m.
Tweet from Times Free Press reporter Joy Smith (@JLukachick)
Just spoke with the property manager: "It looked like a scene from a TV set. TVs were shot up and 4 of the 5 recruiting offices were shot."
2:21 p.m.
Tweet from Pedro (@pedro37411), representing the first reference to NoogaStrong.
Sending prayers to the families of the victims in today's tragic events. It's a sad day in #cha today. #chashooting #noogastrong
2:48 p.m.
Sgt. DeMonte Cheeley walks out of Erlanger after he was shot in the leg during the first attack at the recruiting center.
"When the first shot went off, my first initial thought was firecracker. The front glass kind of shattered a little bit and I thought, 'OK, someone just threw a firecracker, it broke the glass, someone is in trouble.' That was my first thought." - Sgt. DeMonte Cheeley
3:01 p.m.
Berke opens the first news conference on the shooting.
"Today," he says, "is a nightmare for the city of Chattanooga."
3:22 p.m.
Caroline Dove texts Lance Cpl. Skip Wells.
"I love you."
4:32 p.m.
Tweet from Times Free Press reporter Tyler Jett (@letsjett)
SWAT just pulled into suspect's home at 1902 Colonial Way Circle in Hixson
4:36 p.m.
Tweet from Berke (@AndyBerke)
Our hearts are broken for the families of the four Marines killed in today's terrible act of violence. They are in our prayers.
4:46 p.m.
Tweet from City of Chattanooga (@Chattanooga_gov)
False reports the suspect is a City of #CHA employee. Please be mindful during this difficult time of sending inaccurate reports. @CBSNews
4:55 p.m.
Police Chief Fred Fletcher sends an email to all department employees.
I know you will continue to take care of each other. Keep an eye on your partners and teammates. Many of us will need help before we realize it and ask for it. There is nothing more important to me right now than making sure each of you is safe, supported and cared for.
5:10 p.m.
Tweet from Erich vonPotts (@vonPotts40)
This won't shake us. For all our bickering Americans will always come together. This just strengthens our resolve #ChattanoogaStrong
5:17 p.m.
A message from the families
The families of the five men who died because of the July 16 attack wrote a short letter this week to thank community members for the outpouring of support afterward. Here are their words, unedited:Dear Chattanooga, Marietta, Grantsburg, Springfield, Rossville, and surrounding communities,Words can never truly express our sincere thanks for your support and kindness these last six months. You have sent cards, letters with stories, beautiful artwork, handmade items, flags, certificates. You have donated time and resources. You have created T-shirts and bracelets. You have written poems and songs. Your children have drawn pictures and colored flags. You have raised monuments and engraved bricks. You have cried, and you have prayed — all in honor of five brave men. Five of the bravest men we ever knew — husbands, fathers, sons, warriors, one Sailor, four Marines. All to let us know that their service and sacrifice will be remembered. You have touched our hearts, and we are thankful for you. We turn our thoughts now to the time we need to grieve in private as we reconcile these events both internally and with our families. We are forever grateful and thank you for standing with us — standing Chattanooga Strong.Lorri W. and familyThe Sullivan familyAngie S. and daughtersJasmine H. and familyCathy Wells and family
Tweet from Federal Bureau of Investigation (@FBI)
FBI Statement on Shootings at Military Facilities in #Chattanooga, Tennessee http://1.usa.gov/1M8soJ5
The FBI's Knoxville Field Office, along with the Chattanooga Police Department and other law enforcement partners, are working jointly to investigate today's shootings at a military recruitment center and a reserve center in Chattanooga, Tennessee in which four individuals were killed and three injured. The shooter, Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, 24, is also deceased. While it would be premature to speculate on the motives of the shooter at this time, we will conduct a thorough investigation of this tragedy and provide updates as they are available
5:19 p.m.
Chattanooga is the number one trending topic on Twitter with 56,300 tweets.
5:20 p.m.
President Barack Obama delivers a three-minute speech about the shooting.
"We don't know yet all the details. We know that what appears to be a lone gunman carried out these attacks."
5:51 p.m.
Tweet from Leigh Ann Pettigrew (@LAPettigrew)
How dare you Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez #notmymarines #ChattanoogaStrong
7:35 p.m.
Statement from Bassam Issa, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga
We condemn this act in the strongest possible terms as one of cowardice and hate. At the Islamic Center of Greater Chattanooga, we don't see our community center as a "Muslim" community; we are Chattanoogans first, and we see ourselves as part of the larger community of Tennesseans grieving today's act.
7:44 p.m.
Caroline Dove texts Lance Cpl. Skip Wells again.
"Hon, I need you to answer me please"
Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas. Follow @ShellyBradbury.