East Lake Courts can be seen in the background as children exit a school bus along East 25th Street Place and enter the Boys and Girls Club of Chattanooga’s East Lake unit Wednesday in Chattanooga. The club was locked down Tuesday evening after the shooting of a Chattanooga police officer a few blocks away, and staff members kept the children in the windowless library and gymnasium for safety.
East Lake Courts can be seen in the background behind the Boys and Girls Club of Chattanooga’s East Lake unit Wednesday in Chattanooga. The club was locked down Tuesday evening after the shooting of a Chattanooga police officer a few blocks away, and staff members kept the children in the windowless library and gymnasium for safety.Read moreMan charged with shooting a Chattanooga police officer is a suspect in another shooting
Outside, as chaos ruled the twilight Tuesday, children at the East Lake Boys & Girls Club staged a jump-rope tournament, cozied up with a book in the library or listened to music.
In the streets surrounding the building near the East Lake Courts public housing development off Fourth Avenue, police officers carrying military-style semi-automatic rifles scoured the area in search of the man who shot a Chattanooga police officer.
The East Lake Boys & Girls Club unit, within the taped-off perimeter that police set up just a little after 6 p.m., was on lockdown for three hours.
Debbie Gray, the executive vice president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chattanooga, said the perpetual need for lockdowns interferes with the after-school club’s main goals: to promote academic success, develop character and leadership and learn about healthy lifestyles.