‘We’re not supposed to bury our children’
Shooting victim’s family grieves his death
Sytira Porter sat on her couch Tuesday afternoon, scrolling through a Facebook feed full of condolences.
The TV was on, but no one was watching it. A handful of plastic yard chairs was crammed into the living room for the train of visitors filing in and out with groceries, tissues and prayers. Family and friends stayed for a moment or two to share a photo or swap a story, each trying, a week before Christmas, to grapple with the loss of 22-year-old Sharone “Ronie” Porter.
“He was always my spoiled little boy,” Porter said through tears about her son. “He was a sweet kid.”
Sharone Porter was shot to death early Sunday morning in a parking lot across the street from Coyote Jack’s nightclub in the 1400 block of Cowart Street after a fight with the alleged shooter, Roddarius Martin, 24, got out of hand, according to Chattanooga police.
One witness said the incident began with an argument inside the club between Sharone Porter’s brother, 24-year-old Torrie Porter, and several other men, one of whom was Martin, according to court records.
The fight continued outside where Martin fired several rounds into the air before shooting the brothers. Torrie Porter was shot in the leg, but another witness said Sharone Porter tried to stop Martin and was fatally shot in the attempt.
Surveillance video showed the fight both inside and outside the club, corroborating both testimonies, according to court records. Martin was arrested the next day and charged with criminal homicide, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and felony reckless endangerment.
Sytira Porter said the boys were at her house before they left for the nightclub and she stayed up all night because she was worried for their safety.
“When they left Saturday night, I felt really uneasy about it. They told me they loved me and I said I’d go to sleep when Ronie came back because he said he would,” she said. “I got the call about 3:15 a.m. and it turned my world upside down.”
She said she’s been told by witnesses that Sharone Porter wasn’t initially involved in the fight between Torrie Porter and the other men, but instead walked out of the club as Martin was shooting into the air and at his brother.
“Ronie came out and said, ‘That’s my brother! That’s my brother!’” she said. “[Sharone] was trying to stop him from shooting his brother and he shot [Sharone] in the chest.”
“Sharone was trying to protect Torrie.”
One of the club owners, Tammie Taylor, initially told the Times Free Press via email that the alleged shooter was never in the club. A longer statement released later by Daniel Weaver, the marketing director for Coyote Jack’s Saloon, said: “Our preliminary statement was not meant to be misleading nor a false statement.”
He also explained that every guest is subject to a patdown, bags are searched upon entry, and the security staff is trained to handle incidents that happen on the property.
“Moving forward, we are continuing operation as normal and we are taking aggressive steps to tighten up security, as well as looking into commissioning duty officers. We are also going to again reach out to Republic Parking about having an officer(s) present in the parking lot across the street from the club,” he wrote.
But any future changes won’t change the fact that the Porter family will be attending a funeral this weekend. Sytira Porter said her faith has been essential in the grieving process.
“I’m so glad I’m saved. If I couldn’t hold onto my faith, I’d probably be in Moccasin Bend somewhere by now, because that was my baby,” she said.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do after his funeral on Saturday. I’m going to say my final goodbyes. I just hope I’m going to be able to hold up, because that’s going to be it. The last time to talk to him. The last time to see his face.”
She said everyone experiences conflict, but she doesn’t understand why young men so frequently choose to settle those arguments with firearms.
“Back in the day, if you had a dispute with somebody, you settled it with your fists. You went home bloody, but you’re friends the next day. Now everybody wants to pick up a gun,” she said. “I think people need to think before they act. Once you take a life, you can’t give it back.”
As for the alleged shooter, she said she’s glad he’s off the streets, but all she wants now is to sit down with him.
“I don’t hate him. I forgive him for what he’s done. I’d like to talk to the young man, just to let him see my face and say, ‘This is the face of a mother whose son’s life you took,’” she said.
“I just don’t want another mother to feel what I’ve felt. It’s a hurt like you’ve never felt before. We’re not supposed to bury our children.”
Sharone Porter’s death marks the 32nd homicide in Chattanooga this year, one fewer than the total seen in 2016 — the deadliest year in recent history. Of this year’s homicide victims, 11 were 22 years old or younger.