A 14-year-old was struck by gunfire when two unidentified individuals began shooting at one another.
Gary CrossA man suspected of shooting a teenager earlier this week has been added to Hamilton County’s Most Wanted list.
Gary Cross, 19, is sought in the shooting in East Chattanooga on Sunday that sent a 14-year-old to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg.
The wounded boy told police he and a friend were walking in the 2000 block of Ocoee Street shortly after 12:30 p.m. when a man sitting on a porch shot at them. Both boys ran away before realizing one had been shot in the leg.
Police went to the home and found an empty .22-caliber shell casing on the porch, according to arrest records.
The homeowner, Sheniqua Cal, agreed to allow police to search the house. Officers found a .22-caliber rifle hidden behind a bookcase. Cal said she didn’t know about the firearm.
Cal’s son, Dominique Cal, was present and was taken into custody on an unrelated warrant. Then investigators discovered he and his sister were the only ones home during the shooting.
A surveillance camera at a nearby home captured the shooting. Police records say the footage shows Cross, a confirmed gang member, walking up at 12:32 p.m. and firing several rounds toward Dominique Cal’s home. A minute later, Cal enters the frame holding what appears to be the .22-caliber rifle, then runs back home.
At 12:35 p.m., the two boys who were fired at can be seen walking north on Roanoke Avenue, and though the victim is shot off-camera, both can be seen fleeing.
On Friday, Chattanooga police announced they added Cross, a target of the Violence Reduction Initiative, to Hamilton County’s Top 12 Most Wanted list.
Since VRI began two years ago, the city has funneled more than $1 million into the effort and police have arrested 263 known gang members and associates.
Prosecutors were asked to pay special attention for those cases and push for the harshest punishments possible, but the Times Free Press recently found that only seven people received the maximum set by state law. The newspaper’s analysis of the 263 arrests showed most offenders have avoided significant jail time and have been found guilty of misdemeanors rather than felonies, which typically carry longer sentences.
Police say they want the community’s help to get Cross off the streets and in jail.
“The men and women of the Chattanooga police stand ready to put him in jail and keep him there,” said Kyle Miller, spokesman for the Chattanooga Police Department.
Cross faces charges of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and reckless endangerment.
Police released a photo earlier this week of Cross wearing a blue tracksuit and pointing a gun at the time of the shooting.
Dominique Cal has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, possession of a firearm while in commission of a felony and possessing a firearm with intent to go armed.
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731.