Chattanooga police officers roped off a parking lot with crime scene tape Monday night after responding to a report of shots fired at East Lake Courts at the 2600 block of 4th Avenue.Three people were shot in Chattanooga in fewer than 12 hours from Monday evening to Tuesday morning, according to police.
Investigators do not believe the shootings are connected.
The violence began around 7:20 p.m. Monday near East Lake Courts, where 19-year-old JaMarcus Davis was shot multiple times while he was riding in a vehicle.
Another car pulled alongside Davis' vehicle near the 2600 block of 4th Avenue and opened fire, according to police. He was taken to a hospital in a private vehicle and his injuries were not life-threatening.
About six hours later, 18-year-old Jaylain Ballard was shot twice in the 3300 block of Pinewood Avenue just after 2 a.m. Ballard was also taken to the hospital in a private vehicle, and refused to cooperate with police when investigators arrived.
His injuries were also not life-threatening.
And just three hours after Ballard was shot, a 45-year-old woman, Marion Heard, was shot twice near 2400 Long Street, according to police. She did not give police any suspect information and was expected to survive.
There have been about 76 shootings in Chattanooga so far this year, according to Times Free Press records, including 15 shooting homicides. Another two people have been killed with other methods - the city has seen 17 total homicides this year.
At this point last year, there had been 11 homicides in Chattanooga. By the end of 2015, that number rose to 30.
Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas. Follow @ShellyBradbury.