Two suspects on the run after man killed in Brainerd

Police examine a crime scene after a homicide at 5608 Pinelawn Avenue on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Police said that the victim, Michael Hines, 41, was shot and killed during a robbery.

A 41-year-old Chattanooga man was shot to death while at his mother's house in Brainerd on Wednesday afternoon.

Two men approached Michael Hines' mother while she was in the yard outside her home on Pinelawn Avenue around 12:45 p.m. and asked for Hines, according to police. She told them her son was in the garage.

One man stayed with her while another man went into the house to look for Hines. When the man found Hines inside, he demanded money and then shot Hines multiple times, according to police. At least one person witnessed the shooting, Chief Fred Fletcher said. He declined to say who.

The two men then fled in a brown Buick Park Avenue with tinted windows. The vehicle, which had damage to the back left side, soon was spotted by authorities in a "neighboring jurisdiction," Fletcher said. Those authorities chased the vehicle for several minutes, but the driver managed to lose police and escape.

Investigators are still seeking the two men, both described as about 5-feet, 8-inches tall and black. One may have been light-skinned, Fletcher said.

Standing outside the crime scene in the balmy afternoon sun about two hours after the homicide, Fletcher asked anyone with information on the men's location to call 911, and warned they are dangerous.

"They've already proven they will murder somebody in cold blood, in broad daylight, in their home," he said. "So, yes, I consider them very, very dangerous, and we're worried about further violence."

Hines is the fifth person to be killed in Chattanooga so far this year. His death comes just seven days after 71-year-old Orlandus Metcalfe was gunned down while in bed at his home on Taylor Street. So far this year, all of Chattanooga's homicide victims have been shot to death, and in three cases, the shooting happened during the day, records show.

Four of the five victims were shot and killed inside their homes.

Hines' death was not random, Fletcher said, but investigators have no evidence the shooting was gang-related. Hines was not a gang member.

Family and friends said Hines - who went by the nickname "Kash" - was a friendly, outgoing guy who loved his children and would help anybody who needed it.

Harriet Hines, his cousin, said he was crazy about his mother and had a memorable smile. Hines was the kind of guy who walked into a room and lit it up, said friend Latoya Lawrence.

"He was always full of life," Harriet Hines said.

Hines' mother declined to comment to the Times Free Press.

Michael Hines tangled with the law at several points in his life, court records show. He pleaded guilty to selling and delivering cocaine in 1993 and 1996, then pleaded guilty to intending to sell marijuana in 2003.

He was charged with escape from a penal institution in 2007, pleaded guilty and was given 11 months and 29 days of probation.

Hines has not been charged with a crime in Hamilton County for the last eight years, according to court records.

Police could not say Wednesday whether Hines' past drug dealing was related to his violent death.

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