Gregory Scott Martin
One person is dead after a violent four-day holiday period, which saw five shootings across Chattanooga.
The most recent and fatal incident happened Christmas Day and was sparked by a personal dispute, according to witnesses.
Kevin Daniel, 20, was shot multiple times outside a home in the 7700 block of Wimberly Drive just after 3 p.m. Tuesday. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
The suspect, 28-year-old Gregory Martin, was found at an apartment in College Hill Courts and arrested and charged with criminal homicide, according to court records. His vehicle was found less than a mile away from the scene on Nautical Way.
Martin was driven to the home Tuesday to "fight Mr. Daniel over a personal dispute," a witness told police, according to court records.
The witness said Daniel came outside with a handgun, but before the dispute began, he placed it on the trunk of the vehicle that Martin had arrived in - a grey newer model Camaro.
Then, as the dispute continued, "Mr. Daniel turned his back to retrieve his handgun from the trunk, and Mr. Martin fired several rounds at Mr. Daniel striking him twice," court records state.
It wasn't clear if Martin grabbed Daniel's gun first or if Martin had his own gun. Police could not clarify Wednesday evening, but according to court records, the witness told police that Daniel was not armed at the time he was shot.
On Wednesday, scattered remnants of medical supplies could still be seen in the yard and driveway of the home where the shooting happened.
Bobby Goins, a nearby neighbor, said he heard around eight gunshots, but didn't see anything.
Goins said he's lived in his house since the 1960s.
"It was a good neighborhood back then," he said.
Another neighbor said he heard at least five gunshots as he was waking up from an afternoon nap.
"I thought it was loud fireworks," Dennis Duncan told the Times Free Press on Wednesday. "I got up, and looked out the window and saw the man fall to the ground."
Duncan, visibly shaken, said he saw a woman run to Daniel to try to comfort him and pick him up off the ground.
"I can't help but look over there where I seen that man fall after the shooting," he said.
The people had only recently moved into the house, Duncan said. And they appeared to have been bringing in Christmas gifts.
"I saw some Christmas gifts there at the bottom of the back porch steps," he said. "[The woman] dropped one of the Christmas packages" before she ran to Daniel's side.
"She was crying," Duncan said. "I just don't know if [Martin] gon' get away and come back again? I hope not."
He said he's lived in the area his entire life, since the 1960s, and it's the first time he remembers seeing anything of that nature.
"I feel scared," he said. "Afraid that it might happen again depending on what was on his mind, the one that done the shooting."
The incident was the fifth shooting in the Chattanooga area that happened over the long holiday weekend, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The other shootings were not fatal.
* The first incident took place on Dec. 22 at about 3:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of East 26th Street. A 57-year-old man, who police have not identified, was found with a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
* Then, just three hours later at around 6:30 p.m., 30-year-old Malcom Blessingreen was shot in the hand while exiting Interstate 24 at Fourth Avenue.
Blessingreen originally told the Times Free Press he was shot from a passing vehicle, but police later clarified, saying he was shot by Justin Sheppard, 26, who was in the same vehicle. Sheppard was arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
* On Christmas Eve, a 25-year-old man, who has also not been identified, was shot in the 900 block of Wheeler Avenue just after 11:30 p.m. Police found him in the middle of the road and he was taken to a local hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening.
A trail of blood droplets could still be seen Wednesday afternoon, the only evidence that a shooting had taken place just two days prior. They started on the sidewalk in the middle of the 900 block of Wheeler Avenue. The droplets steadily got bigger as they wrapped around the block and onto the roadway toward North Chamberlain Avenue, not far from a local hospital, before abruptly stopping.
* Almost two hours later, a 45-year-old man arrived at a local hospital via a privately owned vehicle after being shot. His injury was considered not life-threatening, and police haven't been able to locate a crime scene.
Kevin Daniel was shot and killed less than 24 hours later. His death marked the city's 23rd homicide this year. By this time last year, there had been 33 homicides.
Chattanooga police ask anyone with information about these incidents to call the Homicide Tip Line at 423-643-5100. Callers can remain anonymous.
Contact staff writer Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327 with tips or story ideas. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.