Suspects questioned after gunfire threatens students at bus stop

A bullet hole is seen in a front porch column along 38th Street across the street from the Bethlehem Center on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn., after an early morning shooting toward a group of children waiting for school buses. No one was injured in the shooting.
A bullet hole is seen in a front porch column along 38th Street across the street from the Bethlehem Center on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn., after an early morning shooting toward a group of children waiting for school buses. No one was injured in the shooting.

It's ridiculous. It's foolishness. It's sad. People are scared to get out of the house.

Previous story:

Gunfire at bus stop sends students scrambling for cover in South Chattanooga

Eight hours after a gunman opened fire on students waiting at a school bus stop in Alton Park on Tuesday morning, parents watched the yellow school buses rumble back to the same spot after school and recounted how their children managed to avoid the bullets.

One 17-year-old was running late, so she happened to be across the street and out of the line of fire when the shooting started.

Another 16-year-old girl had just walked out her front door when she heard the shots and ran back inside.

Most of the youngest elementary school kids left on their bus just before the shooting, parents said.

The students at the stop ran for cover behind houses and dove onto porches for protection when at least one person opened fire from a car in front of the stop at 225 W. 38th St. just after 8 a.m.

Bullet holes pocked the homes behind the bus stop.

"It's anything goes right now," said one mother, who was sitting on her porch with her elementary-aged son when the shooting started. "The middle school kids are terrified. They were running just to get on the bus."

"They jumped on that bus like it was the safest place to be," a man agreed.

Both asked not to be identified because they fear for their safety. Some neighbors said the shooters were targeting a teenager waiting with the other students.

The school bus arrived shortly after the shooting and most kids opted to go to school despite the ordeal.

Witnesses said the students had some sort of warning - perhaps someone yelling to get out, or a glimpse of the gun - and started running a second or two before the first shot.

Chattanooga police questioned two suspects - an adult and a juvenile - in what they said was a gang-related shooting and impounded the car that was used. Neither suspect has been charged. The juvenile was taken to juvenile detention on a previous case, while the adult was released, according to police.

The car, a gray 2003 Infiniti G35, was stolen during a carjacking in Knoxville on Saturday, according to the Knox County Sheriff's Office. In that incident, three black males with guns threatened and robbed three other men outside a workout gym.

Parents and residents were revolted and worried by the early morning attack.

"These are innocent children," said Tanika Jenkins, whose youngest son was at the stop. She often has to be at work by 6:30 a.m., so she can't stay with her kids at the bus stop.

She thinks police spend more time stopping drug deals than shootings.

"Why don't [police] do nothing to protect innocent children?" she asked. "Do I have to be late for work just to make sure my kids get on the bus safe?"

"It's ridiculous. It's foolishness. It's sad," said Rosemary Porter, who went to the stop to pick up her granddaughter Tuesday afternoon. "People are scared to get out of the house. "

Many of the kids at the stop were headed to East Lake Academy and The Howard School, said Police Chief Fred Fletcher. Some were on their way to the Chattanooga Charter School for Excellence.

"When someone terrorizes any neighborhood, they offend me," Fletcher said. "It hurts me and my officers almost as much as it hurts the families. People know who did this and saw who did this, and we need them to come forward so we can put [the suspects] in jail."

Howard Principal Zac Brown said it's been years since he's seen a serious incident at a bus stop and he hopes it doesn't become a consistent problem.

"First and foremost, we want our kids to be safe at school - but the bus stop is sort of considered school," he said. "It needs to be a safe zone so they can get on the bus with no issues. It's just a shame that our kids have to deal with such sinister acts."

The school does not provide security at bus stops, he said. But if violence at stops becomes a problem, something will have to be done, he added.

"Once the kids are at school, there are no issues because they know we won't tolerate that behavior or nonsense," Brown said. "But, unfortunately, we only control 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and we don't control before or after."

Although no one was injured in the drive-by, the neighborhood is still bracing for retaliatory violence, said resident Latoya Hunt. Police are sending extra officers to the area to try to prevent attacks.

Hunt was checking out in a store across the street from the bus stop when she heard the gunshots.

"I heard 'POP, POP, POP, POP, POP,'" she said. "I ain't ever seen something like that."

But they weren't coming for her.

Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas.

Upcoming Events