Police have made an arrest in last weekend's shootings in the central tourism district of downtown Chattanooga, according to police.
The May 28 shooting at 100 Walnut St. injured six teenagers, two of them critically.
The suspect is a male juvenile, age 15, so city officials are not identifying him.
Jeremy Eames, the police department's spokesman, told the Chattanooga Times Free Press the shooting appears to be a random act of violence among teenagers and cannot be attributed to gang violence. Eames also said that moving forward there will be more police presence in the downtown area.
The suspect is at the Juvenile Detention Facility, charged with six counts of attempted murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a dangerous felony, unlawful possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment.
Investigators say they have also identified another suspect and are working to locate the person. People with information can call 423-643-5100 or submit a tip via the CPD Atlas One app.
"While I can't get into details on an ongoing, active investigation, I want to emphasize the importance of keeping firearms out of the hands of our teens, and I would ask parents to remain vigilant about where their kids are, and who they're spending time with," Police Chief Celeste Murphy said in a news release. "Tackling our gun violence epidemic will require everyone in our community to pitch in and do their part to keep our children safe."
According to the release, homicides and non-fatal shootings in Chattanooga are down this year compared to last year. The city has reported six homicides in 2022, compared to 12 for the same period in 2021. Also, there have been 21 non-fatal shootings in 2022, compared to 54 as of this time in 2021, according to the release.
"The fact that innocent teens were senselessly gunned down on our streets is flatly unacceptable, and I have directed my staff to step up efforts to both continue addressing the root causes of this violence, as well as provide more immediate solutions to keep our community safe," Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly said in the release. "From keeping our community centers open later to educating residents on how to keep their guns locked up, as well as increasing youth mentorship programs across the city, there is more we can and must do."
Eames also said the department has prepared itself for the Riverbend Festival, noting that festival organizers have hired off-duty officers to help with security, while the department has increased its presence at the upcoming festival.
Contact La Shawn Pagán at lpagan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow her on Twitter @LaShawnPagan.