Chattanooga Police investigate after a man was found dead at 8am by a passing homeless person near the railroad trestle off of East 11th Ave on Tuesday, February 17, 2015. It is suspected that the man froze to death as temperatures were in the low 20’s at 8am according to the National Weather Service. After further investigation, Chattanooga Community Kitchen Executive Director Jens Christensen says he has determined that the man found dead Tuesday morning from weather exposure was never turned away from the organization’s cold-weather shelter on 11th Street.
That contradicts several homeless clients at the Community Kitchen on Tuesday who said they saw Douglas King get put out of the kitchen the night before, after drinking in the bathroom and cursing out shelter staff.
One of the witnesses, Daryl Lollis, said he had known King since high school.
On Tuesday, Christensen said King was seen outside the shelter so drunk that he fell over and police asked him to move along.
But on Thursday, Christensen said King was not turned away and that some people tried to get him to come inside, but King chose not to enter.
“Following interviews with the contract supervisors, the police officer stationed in the shelter, the detective investigating the death and many who stayed that night, we are now certain that the man who passed away did not attempt to check-in to the cold-weather shelter that evening, was not put out of the shelter that night and was not turned away at the doors,” said Christensen.
Christensen acknowledged that the Community Kitchen has received an outpouring of community criticism and outrage since news of King’s death just down the street from the shelter became public.
“The damage for us is that some people are calling letting us know that they believe that we killed the man when 144 other people were inside who had nowhere else to turn, and he did not choose to come inside or attempt to come inside,” said Christensen.
King, 64, was found dead Tuesday morning near the trestles underneath the railroad tracks at 600 E. 11th St. The death appears to be exposure related, according to a Chattanooga Police Department news release.
Christensen said a drunk man did get put out of the shelter Monday night but that it wasn’t King. Christensen said police took the man to another shelter and that man is still alive.
Chattanooga police spokesman Kyle Miller said police never had interaction with King.
“Unfortunately the Chattanooga Police Department were not called on Tuesday night to assist at the Community Kitchen nor did officers request that the deceased leave the premises as officers were not at that location at that time,” said Miller.
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 757-6431.