Police: Attempted robbery led to Dec. 13 shooting in Chattanooga

Police say an attempted robbery led to a Dec. 13 shooting in the 2100 block of Duncan Avenue that left one man seriously injured.

Malcolm Johnson, 25, is accused of shooting 57-year-old Wayne Weimer after Weimer refused to hand over his belongings when Johnson demanded them.

Chattanooga police were called to a home in the 2200 block of Chamberlain Avenue at 7:15 p.m. and found Weimer with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. He was taken to a local hospital where he underwent surgery.

A family member told police where the shooting originally happened, near a Rite Aid pharmacy between Duncan and McCallie avenues.

She told police she got a call from Weimer saying he needed help and he’d been shot. He told her a man tried to rob him near a dumpster, court records show.

Investigators went to that area and found a 9 mm spent shell casing.

Police weren’t able to speak to Weimer until Dec. 17, after he recovered from surgery.

At that point, Weimer told police he was on foot and made a few stops at local businesses on McCallie before he started heading back home.

He briefly stopped near the Rite Aid and encountered the man, later identified as Johnson, who said, “Give me everything you got,” according to court records. Weimer refused, which is when Johnson shot him.

Police reviewed several security cameras from different businesses and saw Weimer’s story checked out.

Footage showed Johnson following Weimer out of the first business at which he stopped. And police were able to get several screen shots of Johnson’s face, which helped them identify him.

Johnson was arrested Friday and is charged with especially aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, attempted murder reckless endangerment and possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.

He remains in custody at the Hamilton County Jail where his bond has been set at $100,000.

Johnson has an arrest history in Hamilton County dating back to 2015, according to online court records. Most of his charges are firearm and drug-related offenses.

Contact staff writer Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327 with tips or story ideas. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.