Resident who let suspects into building gets evicted

The suspects in Sunday’s fatal shooting at a Douglas Heights apartment were guests of a resident who let them into the building, according to the company that manages the property.

In a statement Wednesday, Landmark Properties said: “This was not an instance of two men simply taking advantage of an opened door. They were let in intentionally by the resident — as residents are allowed to have guests visit them. What transpired later, of course, was what’s left us all saddened and angered. But their actual entrance into the building was not suspicious or unusual.”

Omerrieal Woods, 29, and his brother, 26-year-old Toddie Woods, who are both known gang members, have been charged in the death of 25-year-old Rigoberto Jarquin.

Chattanooga police were called to the apartment building just before 4 a.m. and found two men in addition to Jarquin — a 20-year-old and a 23-year-old — with gunshot wounds. One was shot in the shoulder and the other in the thigh. Jarquin was dead on the apartment floor. He’d been

shot multiple times.

Omerrieal Woods is charged with facilitation of first-degree murder; Toddie Woods is charged with first-degree murder. Both are charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and are scheduled to appear in court on July 23.

Douglas Heights is privately owned and offers housing that is geared toward students near the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. It is located on Douglas Street between M.L. King Boulevard and East 10th Street.

The company said surveillance footage shows the resident waiting in the lobby and then letting the suspects inside. The group remains together, walking throughout the building and socializing by the pool. They are seen still together at the time of the shooting.

The company told the Times Free Press on Wednesday that it had not spoken to the resident about the incident or his relationship to the suspects, but that the resident had been identified through the footage and that it was clear he knew the men.

“It is clear from the surveillance footage that the two suspects did not simply follow the resident inside and then split off from the resident as if they didn’t know each other or they were trying to suspiciously or sneakily enter the building,” the company said.

Chattanooga police could not confirm the company’s claim that the resident knew the suspects.

Requests for the footage have been denied by the company and the police department.

A copy of the building’s housing agreement obtained by the Times Free Press states that residents are responsible for the actions of their guests and informing guests of the rules and regulations, which prohibit firearms.

Additionally, rules state that no more than one guest is permitted in the pool area with a resident. There are at least two known suspects, and screenshots of surveillance footage showing at least two additional people were in the group.

The contract also states that residents will be in violation of their contract if they or their guests violate any criminal laws, “regardless of whether arrest or conviction occurs.”

And the contract goes on to state that consequences for violating the contract may include termination of contract and eviction, and that Landmark Properties reserves the right to sue.

The company initially told the Times Free Press that the company did not plan to evict the resident “for simply knowing the suspects.”

“We are fully cooperating with law enforcement,” the company said. “If their investigation concludes that any resident knew about or willingly participated in the facilitation of any crime, we will terminate their lease agreement and order their eviction from the property.”

But by Thursday, the company said “the individual in question is no longer a resident at Douglas Heights.”

“They were found in violation of their lease agreement, which has been terminated, and they vacated the premises,” the company said. “To be clear, the decision to terminate their lease agreement does not in any way suggest that we have knowledge to support claims that the resident willingly enabled or facilitated the tragic crimes on Sunday.”

Since the shooting, Landmark Properties has been communicating with residents and co-signers “proactively” to keep them updated and so they understand that “the incident was not a result of failed security measures at Douglas Heights.”

A community meeting had been scheduled for Monday, but “after further consideration and collaboration, we determined the best way to communicate information was via email so all of our residents would be receiving the same information at the same time,” the company said.

“We are deeply saddened and angered by havoc and pain the shooter senselessly brought upon our community today,” the company said in an earlier statement. “Our hearts mourn as we think of the victims and all those impacted.”

Several residents and parents of residents, who did not want to be named out of concerns for safety, have voiced concerns over ongoing security issues, with some saying they are happy that their leases are expiring soon.

One resident, who lives one floor below where the shooting took place, said he couldn’t believe what had happened. He had been talking to some friends when he heard a couple of thumps.

“I thought it was just people partying like always but than [sic] I heard screaming outside my window,” he wrote in a message. “I went outside in the hall a few minutes later and there were 4 cops walking down the hall with assault rifles and they told me to get back inside.”

The seven-story apartment building opened with fanfare in 2016 to offer 691 beds in two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations for university students and others in the city.

In all of 2018, there were 270 calls made to 911 from 930 Douglas St., 54 of which were noise complaints. Seventeen calls were for theft. And three were to report sex offenses.

Because of the shooting, the company has said it is increasing security measures. Beginning at 9 p.m., building access will be limited to the main lobby entrance. And during high traffic times, a security officer will check and log everyone’s identification before entering.