Five shootings in one weekend

Chattanoga, TN (WDEF) – Five shooting victims found themselves in the hospital this weekend, all with non life-threatening wounds.

In many cases, shootings are related and retaliatory but police emphasize this weekend was different.

"We do not believe there is any relation from one incident to the next in the five shootings that we had this weekend," Officer Mark Frazer with the Chattanooga Police Department said.

So the question is, are these suspects shooting to kill but missing or are they intentionally sparing the victims’ lives to avoid jail time?

The district attorney, Neal Pinkston, who prosecutes the suspects of shootings like these has an opinion.

"I don’t know that criminals contemplate the consequences for their actions," Pinkston said. "They just act with disregard to what the consequences would be so I would find it unusual if they were contemplating just hurting someone to achieve a lesser charge."

Frazer said, "It’s not as though the perpetrator is taking two shots and hitting them both times. It’s an instance where they are going out and spraying and hoping to hit somebody."

Frazer sums it up in one word.

"Luck. Luck would be my first thought."

It’s only understandable with this rash of shootings that the public at large may worry about being a target.

"I think it’s very important to emphasize these are not random people walking down the street who end up shot," said Frazer. "The suspect and victim typically have some tie to one another."