Chattanooga police use witnesses, shell casing to tie suspect to Wednesday shooting

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Chattanooga teen shows up at hospital shot in the headChattanooga police used witness descriptions and a bullet casing to connect a 31-year-old man to a Wednesday shooting.Police believe Osei Sorrell opened fire at Kadarius Johnson, 19, from behind the wheel of a white SUV near 1300 Dodson Ave. around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.Johnson was hit in the head during the shooting. He described the shooter as a heavy-set black man with long dreadlocks. Police used that description to detain Sorrell as he was driving in the 500 block of East Fourth Street.Police found a loaded .22-caliber semi-automatic gun under Sorrell's driver seat, along with two magazines of ammunition. Investigators also found a .22-caliber bullet casing at the scene of the shooting, according to Sorrell's affidavit.Two other witnesses described the shooter to police and their descriptions also matched Sorrell, police said. He was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.He is being held on a $225,000 bond. Sorrell has a criminal record dating back to 2004 that includes drug charges and driving violations. The charges in this case are the most serious charges he's faced.Johnson suffered a serious injury but is expected to survive, according to police.Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas.

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