5 hurt in shooting near downtown nightclub
Five people were injured in a shooting outside Coyote Jack’s nightclub in downtown Chattanooga early Sunday morning.
Kevin Parks, 32; Kandice Parks, 29; Keosha Strickland, 25; Te Shayla Yearby, 21; and Austin Burns, 22, all were taken to local hospitals, some by ambulance and some in personal vehicles.
All the victims suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, Chattanooga police Chief David Roddy said Sunday morning in a news conference. However, their conditions are being monitored closely as they receive treatment. The chief didn’t describe the victims’ injuries.
Roddy did not have any suspect information at the time of the news conference.
Chattanooga police responded to a parking lot near the club in the 1400 block of Cowart Street at about 2:55 a.m. on reports of multiple people shot. Upon arrival, police found several victims and multiple shell casings throughout the lot.
Multiple videos posted publicly to Facebook showed several people gathered in a parking lot when a burst of rapid fire shots rang out. People ducked down and another round of shots began. Screaming and yelling could be heard as clubgoers tried to get out of the parking lot safely.
In one video, a woman can be heard voicing concern about being stuck in crossfire if she tried to drive away immediately. Eventually, she and her passengers appear to have gotten out safely.
None of the people who posted videos returned requests for comment.
A Coyote Jack’s representative did not return a request for comment Sunday evening, but he did respond to comments posted to one of the Facebook videos.
“To correct [the Facebook user] … [the shooting] happened close to 3 a.m. in the Republic parking lot across the street,” wrote Daniel Weaver, the club’s spokesman. “This had nothing to do with the club whatsoever. Nothing happened inside or on property to provoke this terrible incident. We are also VERY glad that those who were over there made it away from there safe!”
He responded to claims that the club is trying to separate itself from the shooting.
“I am not trying to disassociate anything,” he wrote. “… We lock our doors at latest 2:45 a.m. each week and once they have left the sidewalk, we can NOT interfere with anything that happens over there.”
In December 2017, a shooting outside the club left 22-year-old Sharone Porter dead and his brother, 24-year-old Torrie Porter, injured. A suspect, Roddarius Martin, 24, was charged with criminal homicide, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and felony reckless endangerment.
Seven months earlier, the club was put on lockdown after a shooting took place outside in May, according to WRCB-TV Channel 3. Police said a man fired multiple shots into the air and possibly toward a crowd of people and one at the side of the building.
In 2016, the club, then known as Bella Vita, was the site of two shootings — one of which was fatal.
On March 13, 2016, Reuben Simpson, 35, was shot in the head in the early morning on Cowart Street, near the restaurant. Police said his wounds were considered minor. Two months later, a security guard, 40, was fatally shot in the upper chest at the location. Andrew Wilson, 31, was arrested in that case and charged with criminal homicide.
Members of the police violent crime bureau are actively investigating Sunday morning’s incident. Police ask anyone with any information about the incident to call the department’s tip line at 423-643-5100. Callers can remain anonymous.