Three people were killed and several others were injured after multiple gunmen opened fire outside a bar in Chattanooga in Tennessee on Sunday morning. According to police, at least 14 people were shot in the 2100 block of McCallie Avenue when multiple unknown gunmen started firing at them randomly.
Two of the fatal victims were killed by gunfire, while the third died after being struck by a car while trying to flee the place and take cover. Also, three others were seriously wounded during a chaotic scene at around 2:45 am when cars plowed into people attempting to flee the shootout, according to police.
Violent Weekend
Police said that three of the people died on the scene, two from gunshot wounds, while several others have been admitted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. At least 14 people suffered gunshot injuries.
However, the gunmen haven't been identified. Of the victims, 16 were adults and one was a juvenile.
The first 911 call came from Mary's Bar and Grill in downtown Chattanooga at 2:37 a.m. Another was made a minute later from one block west, records show.
"We're trying to determine exactly what happened and what led up to this taking place," Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy said. "Several victims remain in critical condition," she said.
Mayor Tim Kelly of Chattanooga stated any violence in his city is perpetrated by a small minority of people and will not be tolerated.
"Here is my message to those individuals: We will relentlessly pursue you with all of the resources we have at our disposal. From forensics to federal support, we won't stop until you're in police custody," Kelly said in a statement posted by WTVC. "To anyone thinking about turning to violence, don't — there will be tremendous consequences for you."
Gunmen Unidentified
According to police and eyewitnesses, there were multiple shooters who just came in front of the bar and started shooting. It's not known if a gang was involved. An investigation has been launched into the incident but no arrests have been made yet.
According to the Daily Mail, at least two Facebook users recorded some of the gunfire and subsequent fear. A video posted by a Facebook user who was near the scene shows around 20 gunshots from the incident. During the 11-second footage, the user, Tabby Tab, was posing for a camera when gunshots rang out, and she took refuge in her car.
Laquena Donegan, a Facebook user, also recorded a video of the minutes leading up to the shooting. The footage shows a group of people socializing on a street with cars revving their engines before the shooting erupted.
A terrified woman can be heard praying for her family members, particularly her brother, and screaming for them to come out alive.
"Oh god they out here shooting," a woman can be heard saying. "What the (expletive) is wrong with ya'll. Oh god they out here shooting. Oh please god, god let me make it home safe."
The attack comes hours after three people were killed and 11 others were injured when multiple shooters opened fire on a huge crowd of weekend revelers in downtown Philadelphia.
It's also the latest in a succession of horrific shootings around the United States in recent weeks, including ones at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a primary school in Uvalde, Texas.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research organization, there have been at least 240 mass shootings in the United States so far this year. A mass shooting is defined as a shooting that kills at least four persons, excluding the shooter.
