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Friday, October 30, 2026Oct 30

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Arrest made in connection with 2011 Chattanooga cold case

Photo Hamilton County Sheriff's Office / Antonio Dejong Espey Jr.
Photo Hamilton County Sheriff's Office / Antonio Dejong Espey Jr. Photo Hamilton County Sheriff's Office / Antonio Dejong Espey Jr.
photo Photo Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office / Antonio Dejong Espey Jr.

Chattanooga police and the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Cold Case Unit made an arrest Wednesday in a 2011 homicide.

Antonio Espey Jr., 27, was arrested in a city public works building in connection with the 2011 death of Herbert Strickland.

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On May 19, 2011, a man wearing all black entered the Big K market at 909 Dodson Ave. and opened fire on Strickland, striking him several times.

In 2013, a prosecutor dismissed the first-degree murder charges against Espey after no one could identify him as the shooter, no gunshot residue was not found on Espey’s clothing and video and photographs presented at court were not clear enough to make a positive identification.