Hampton Inn homicide marks 28th slaying this year in Chattanooga

Thirty-year-old Isaac J. Queen was killed in a Monday morning shooting at a Hampton Inn on Shallowford Road, according to police.

Officers responded to the Hampton Inn in the 7000 block of Shallowford Road at 12:51 a.m. on a report of shots fired and found Queen lying on the sidewalk, suffering from a gunshot wound, according to a news release.

He was pronounced dead on the scene. No information was immediately available from the police about any possible suspect in the shooting.

Hampton Inn employees at the location declined to comment on the shooting Monday afternoon, directing all requests for information to the Chattanooga Police Department, but passersby had mixed feelings about what it indicated about their own safety.

"I moved myself and my child further out from the city because I was tired of hearing gunshots," Cerie Thomas said. "Now we're out here and the same thing is happening."

She said the most concerning thing for her in the wake of such violence on a corridor she travels every day is that someone she knows might be caught in the crossfire.

"Me or my child or anybody else could just be driving down that road, minding their own business, but wind up getting hurt," she said. "It's foolishness."

Stephen Henry is less concerned about the spillover effects of gun violence, saying it seems to predominantly affect those who are causing or encouraging it.

"For the most part, it looks like the people who are shooting in the first place are the ones getting killed. Whenever it happens, it's not surprising anymore," he said. "Half the people who've been killed this year had criminal records."

Queen also had a criminal history in Hamilton County dating back several years and had previously been charged with evading arrest, assault on police and unlawful possession of a deadly weapon.

His death marks the 28th homicide in Chattanooga this year. At this point in 2016, the city had seen 24.

Members of the Chattanooga Police Department's violent crimes bureau are investigating all leads in connection to his death and anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the homicide tip line at 423-643-5100. Callers can remain anonymous and all tips go directly to investigators.

Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731. Follow him on Twitter @emmettgienapp.

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