Father of Chattanooga homicide victim recalls shooting aftermath

Police arrest second slaying suspect in Decatur, Tenn., after he was put on TBI's most wanted list

Jalen Little
Jalen Little

A second suspect was arrested late Tuesday afternoon in connection with the homicide of Jalen Little, 19, who was shot to death in his driveway Saturday night.

Jacob Coyne, 21, was found and arrested after being put on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Top 10 Most Wanted list Monday. His warrants included criminal homicide and especially aggravated robbery for his alleged role in the shooting.

photo Jalen Little

"Jacob Coyne now in custody. Chattanooga Police Department along with THP, US Marshals, HCSO & East Ridge PD picked him up in Decatur, TN at 5:15 p.m. on this day," read a news release from the Chattanooga Police Department.

A police spokeswoman declined to comment further on the arrest or homicide.

As Little lay on the ground around midnight Saturday, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, he told officers he had been shot by another suspect, Zachary Chadwick, 19.

Shawn Little was in Michigan when he received the call from his wife telling him their son had been shot. He said he was able to talk to Jalen while he lay in their driveway, bleeding to death.

"That's something that's never going to leave my mind," he said. "My son, screaming on the ground."

He said he told his son to hold on, hoping he would pull through, but Jalen died from his wounds at a hospital later Sunday. Now, his family is just trying to pick up the pieces of their lives.

"My wife has been hit hard. She's not eating, not sleeping," Shawn Little said.

He said his son was making good progress toward acquiring his GED through Chattanooga State and had hopes of becoming an engineer. He said Jalen didn't graduate from his school, Hixson High School, but started working on his GED after being convicted of a car theft two years ago.

His father noticed Jalen was starting to get involved with "the wrong crowd" before the car theft, but he kept running off to be with his friends.

"We tried to reel him back in, but he got locked up in juvenile," Shawn Little said.

Chadwick told police Coyne pulled the trigger, according to an arrest affidavit that details a dispute over drugs and money.

The affidavit said Chadwick told police he gave Little $960 to purchase marijuana earlier in the day. He told officers Little never returned with the marijuana or money.

Chadwick said he and Coyne went to get the money back and found Little in his driveway on Oak Tree Drive. He said Coyne shot Little several times and picked up some money that had fallen to the ground from Little's hand.

He said Coyne then threw him a crumpled $20 bill and said, "I wasn't able to get back all your money, but here's $20."

Shawn Little said another one of his children, Jalen's younger brother, was outside when the shooting happened but had to be taken to the hospital and placed in the ICU because of complications with his heart after the shock.

"He watched his brother get murdered. There's all these pictures of them together," he said. "They were always close."

For now, the family is focusing on funeral arrangements for Jalen, and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help with the unexpected costs.

Donors left comments on the page, expressing their support for the family.

"We're your next door neighbors, and even though we haven't really talked, we want you to know that we care about your family, and we're so sorry this tragedy was inflicted on you and your son," one donor wrote. "Our thoughts and prayers are with you."

Shawn Little said he wants to see justice for his son's death after the funeral, but he knows it won't fix everything.

"It's not going to bring my son back," he said. "Inside, I'm dying."

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

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