Chattanooga police had previously been called by victim to assist with suspect in Hixson group home slaying

The man accused of killing a group home caretaker on Sunday had been previously charged with an attempted robbery and assault, and police had been called in December to assist in a situation involving the two.

Kevin Garrett, 30, was found by Chattanooga police lying at the edge of the driveway in front of the group home, operated by Support Solutions and located at 5705 Garrett Drive in Hixson. He had "significant trauma to the head" and was being attended to by emergency personnel.

Garrett was taken to a local hospital where he died shortly after.

At the scene, police spoke to 25-year-old Shantez Ferguson. He was a resident at the group home and had "multiple scratches and cuts on his arms and blood on his blue jeans," according to Hamilton County court records.

Shantez Ferguson / Photo from right2know.timesfreepress.com

Ferguson changed his story more than four times about what happened, according to investigators. But an unnamed neighbor provided surveillance footage that showed Ferguson on Garrett's back "in an aggressive manner" as they exit the home.

The video also showed Ferguson toss something in a ditch. Police found a bloody brick in that ditch, court records show.

Ferguson finally told police he "was angry about the argument between Mr. Garrett and him." And he admitted to hitting Garrett in the head three times with the brick, all "while Mr. Garrett [lay] in the driveway defenseless," investigators wrote in a criminal affidavit.

Support Solutions is a company that offers "a wide range of services designed to help individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities," according to its website, "regardless of the number of hospitalizations, lengthy periods of institutionalization, law enforcement involvement or number of unsuccessful placements in the community."

Since 2017, police have been called to the home 43 times, including four assault calls and twice for disorder with a weapon involved.

The company's Chattanooga office did not answer when reached by phone Tuesday. But in a statement posted to its website, administrators directed all questions to police.

"The Support Solutions family is shocked and deeply saddened by the events that took place over the weekend. While we legally cannot disclose details of the situation during the investigation, we can assure you that we are working closely with authorities to determine the answers to all of our questions as quickly as possible."

"As a company, we are extremely committed to our team members and the individuals we support and will focus our energies and resources in helping them as they process this traumatic event."

Just last month, in December, Garrett called police to assist him with Ferguson. The details of that call were not immediately made available.

Before then, Ferguson had been arrested in March 2019 for an attempted robbery at an Exxon gas station on Highway 153. In that incident, he reportedly pointed an "unknown object" at clerks and angrily demanded money. At the time, the clerks feared for their lives, believing the object to be a gun.

Clerks pressed the silent alarm, and as they were opening the cash drawer, a woman, who was identified as Ferguson's caretaker, entered the gas station and confronted him. She told police Ferguson was angry and had walked away from the group home earlier that day. She followed him in her vehicle while talking to her supervisor. When he got to the gas station, she stayed outside. But she went inside when she heard yelling.

Ferguson was charged with attempted robbery and later placed on house arrest in August.

In January 2019 - just two months before the alleged attempted robbery - Ferguson was arrested for assault. He was accused of punching and scratching two nurses at a local hospital.

A year later, Ferguson faces a criminal homicide charge in connection to Garrett's death. He remains in the Hamilton County Jail on a $1 million bond, according to online jail records. He is expected to appear in court on Jan. 21.

Contact Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327 with tips or story ideas. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.