Two Chattanooga officers who fatally shot a man in an apparent mental health crisis on Christmas Eve were justified in their use of deadly force and committed no crimes, the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office found.
Through an open records request, the Chattanooga Times Free Press obtained the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s report on the Christmas Eve, 2024, shooting of Roberto Carlos Rodriguez Zayas. The report included photographs, body and dash camera footage, audio and documents.
Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp requested the TBI look into the shooting involving Chattanooga Police Officers Lewis Davis and Dylan Johnston after Zayas, 38, entered a Waffle House, retrieved a steak knife from behind the counter and began to cut himself, the records show. The incident began at around noon at a Waffle House at 7801 E. Brainerd Road.
Zayas’ sister told law enforcement her brother suffered from diagnosed anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and was having auditory hallucinations at the time, the investigative report said.