Recent news about mass shootings shadow how Chattanoogans see public spaces — and one another

Residents are training, locking their doors and keeping vigilant for threats

May 20, 2023 at 4:43 p.m.

by Andrew Schwartz

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Jabari Besley, left, talks with his father, Montrell Besley, on Saturday after the Brainerd High School graduation at Memorial Auditorium. The two had a scare on May 3 because of a false report of an active shooter at the school.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Jabari Besley, left, talks with his father, Montrell Besley, on Saturday after the Brainerd High School graduation at Memorial Auditorium. The two had a scare on May 3 because of a false report of an active shooter at the school.


Montrell Besley runs a small business renting out a video game trailer. On May 3, he was renting it to a school in Red Bank when he got a notification on his phone.

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