Five People Shot In Parking Lot In Chattanooga After Argument Turns Violent

Five people were shot in the parking lot adjacent to Coyote Jack’s Saloon around 3 a.m. this morning said Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy, according to Kayla Strayer of WTVC. Roddy went on to say that the five shooting victims had been taken to a hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries sustained.

“We are not only locating some of the potential witnesses around here on the scene, but also speaking with those victims at the hospital.”

The police chief also mentioned that several shell casings from shots fired had been discovered on the scene — pieces of evidence that may prove crucial to the ongoing investigation.

Roddy said that law enforcement was currently attempting to deduce whether the victims of the violent gunplay were targeted previously to the event or whether the incident was spontaneous and not premeditated in the least. Whether or not some of the shooting victims were simply caught in the incipient crossfire remains to be seen.

Viewers have been submitting several videos filmed by bystanders to WTVC, showing an argument taking place between two men before multiple shots begin to ring out. In one video posted to social media platform Facebook, you can clearly discern a woman insisting “everybody just stay down” as shots were fired around them.

“If we leave we will be in the crossfire,” bystanders in the video retort as they argue over whether it was actually safe to escape from the fracas with live fire still reporting about their immediate vicinity.

https://www.facebook.com/kaylastrayernc9/videos/392013671290036/

The marketing director for Coyote Jack’s Saloon was interviewed by reporters with the local media, in particular about their security measures and protocols.

“The simple solution is we have police presence either in front of our building sitting out in the street, because believe it or not 80 percent of the things that happen in that area wouldn’t if they saw a police cruiser,” Weaver said.

Weaver went on to explain that the saloon had seen an increased police presence and ramped up patrols for the past several weeks as officers helped with crowd control at closing time. The police were not on scene, however, when the shooting began this morning.

This is not the first time that Coyote Jack’s Saloon has been the venue for violence, with a fatal shooting having taken place just this past December according to WTVC. That shooting, in which a suspect by the name of Roddarius Martin allegedly shot Sharone Porter dead, was reportedly gang-related in nature.

Weaver explained that once patrons leave the establishment and clear the sidewalk in front of the saloon, what happens is beyond their jurisdiction, adding that they beefed up security measures substantially following the previous incident and could be expected to do little else.

“We’ve added more people so we spend between $2,000 and $3,000 a week in just security only. I mean we are one step away from being a TSA checkpoint.”

Weaver concluded his remarks by adding that they may install bulletproof glass to the venue and even more cameras on top of the 51 recording devices currently on premises.

No arrests have been made as yet as the investigation is ongoing.