Six teenagers were shot in downtown Chattanooga on Saturday following an altercation.
Four of the victims are experiencing non-life threatening injuries, and two are in “very, very critical” condition, Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy revealed at a news conference on Sunday.
Murphy said police on patrol near the area of 100 Cherry Street and 100 Walnut Street heard gunshots and “observed multiple parties firing” before seeing that multiple victims had been shot.
Chattanooga police officers were already in the downtown area monitoring several large groups and what were perceived to be unchaperoned juveniles, according to the police chief. Officers tried to usher “unintended teens” in the area to safety amid the violence, Murphy said.
Authorities detained one person of interest on Saturday night, but the individual was ruled out a suspect, Murphy told reporters. Investigators are still searching for the perpetrator.
Murphy said authorities believe “two groups of people were beginning to converge on one another in what appeared to have been some type of altercation.” Two people from one of the groups then started firing at the other group.
She noted, however, that the incident does not appear to be gang-related, but said it has not been completely ruled out.
The shooting in Chattanooga follows a pair of mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas, where a combined 31 people were killed. Ten Black individuals were fatally shot in Buffalo, and 19 elementary school students and two teachers died in Uvalde.
Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly on Sunday endorsed stricter gun regulations in the wake of the shooting.
“I can’t say this clearly enough: easy access to illegal guns is killing kids and our community has a responsibility to put a stop to it,” he said at a news conference, specifically noting background checks, red-flag laws and raising the age limit to purchase assault rifles.
He also called on parents to keep watch over their children who have access to firearms.
“Parents also need to be responsible. If you know your kid has access to a firearm you must intervene before someone, perhaps even your own child, ends up dead,” Kelly said.
“The kind of gun violence that erupted last night is often rooted in neglect. All of us, especially parents, caregivers and families, must be actively involved in knowing where our children are, what they’re doing and ensuring they don’t get their hands on weapons that can harm themselves and others. If you have a firearm, keep it securely locked away from children,” he added.