Police: Man shot, killed brother Saturday night
A man who police say shot and killed his brother on New Year’s Eve has been charged with homicide.
Jarvis Suggs, 23, is now in custody at the Silverdale Detention Center.
According to a sworn affidavit by officers seeking Suggs’ arrest, witnesses told police they saw Suggs shoot his brother, 28-year-old Gregory Suggs, multiple times on Saturday night.
Gregory Suggs was pronounced dead shortly before 1 a.m. on New Year’s Day, after being taken to Erlanger from the scene.
His was the 25th and final homicide in Chattanooga in 2022, Chattanooga Police Department spokesperson Sydney Hamon said in an email Tuesday.
Homicides declined by about 25% in 2022 compared to the year before, when 31 were reported in the city.
Police responded to the home in the 4600 block of Highland Avenue around 11:30 p.m. Saturday after hearing reports of shots fired. Chattanooga officers, according to the affidavit, found Gregory Suggs lying on his back with multiple gunshot wounds.
Witnesses interviewed by investigators said the brothers had been arguing inside the home. According to police filings, witnesses said they heard Jarvis Suggs say he didn’t care that Gregory was his brother, then saw him pull a pistol from his jacket and shoot multiple times. After shooting, the shooter was reportedly heard apologizing repeatedly to his brother, witnesses said. According to the affidavit, witnesses said they did not think Gregory Suggs posed any threat to his brother at the time.
Jarvis Suggs remembered other details about his day — including what beverages he’d consumed and card games he’d played — but couldn’t recall the time period of the shooting, he told police in an interview early Sunday morning cited in the affidavit. He also told investigators, court filings state, that he “blacks out” when he becomes angry.
“When asked what he was mad about he initially stated he does not remember,” the affidavit states. “Later in the interview, Suggs stated that he was angry with his brother but did not remember why and that it was probably him who shot his brother but that he does not remember.”
Suggs is not suspected of any gang activity and was not known to the police department before Saturday’s shooting, Hamon said.
He is set to make his first court appearance Thursday morning in front of Judge Larry Ables in Hamilton County General Sessions Court.