Friend of man charged with attempted murder of Chattanooga Police officer speaks out

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Friend of man charged with attempted murder of Chattanooga Police officer is speaking out sharing his side of the story.

He says his friend pulled a gun on him before pulling a gun on police.

Gerald reached out to the newsroom last week wanting to share his side of what happened.
He also wanted to thank officers for saving countless lives, including the suspect’s, that day.

Gerald says, “somebody saw him with the gun to my head they called the police.”

Gerald says that call sent several Chattanooga Police officers to the apartment complex on Tunnel Blvd.

Dispatch told us that night it was a disorder involving a weapon that was called in around 7:30. That’s where the arrest report says they found Joel Harris with a 9 mm handgun.

“He puts his [clip in his gun] and put it in my head like this and so when I turned my head like this I said boo (Joel Harris). [I said] if you shoot me with that gun, you’re not gonna get away with it. They’re going to catch you.”

The arrest report says officers approached Harris, he fled, and mid-chase, Harris fired a gun shot at the officer who was standing in front of multiple apartments. That officer returned fire.

Another officer got to the scene and the report say that Harris fired at that officer who also returned fire striking Harris in the leg.

“I feel like he put those cops lives in danger, they could’ve killed him. They shot him in the leg, they could’ve killed him.”

The report says that after Harris was shot, he was still holding the gun he fired at officers.

The officers say they ordered him to put the gun down, and a short time later, police say he did and was taken into custody.

“I would tell them thank you for responding and they got time off paid leave or whatever it is and they got suspended, disciplined and they were only doing their jobs.”

“I felt like if he was shooting at them, he would’ve definitely shot me and killed me. He could’ve shot me and killed me with that gun. But, the police they Basically saved me and everybody else that was around.”

The two officers involved have returned to full duty.

The report lists his charge as attempted first-degree murder of a police officer.

Harris is scheduled to go before a judge in December charged with attempted murder of a police officer as well as several other charges.

• ATTEMPTED FIRST DEGREE MURDER
• AGGRAVATED ASSAULT
• UNL. CARRYING OR POSSESSING WEAPON
• RESISTING STOP, FRIST, HALT, ARREST OR SEARCH
• RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
• THEFT OF PROPERTY

Officer recovered a 9 mm Luger high point fire alarm. Gerald said Harris had been talking about this “little 9mm” that he had recently purchased.

The report says the gun came back stolen in the city of Chattanooga from May 2017.

A total of four shell casings were recovered from the by the crime scene unit, according to the arrest report.

Harris has multiple convictions for domestic offenses which prohibited him from possessing a firearm.

Gerald says, “I don’t know what it is… he seem like a different person. I’ve known him all my life. I can’t believe he would do that I was like his best friend and I just don’t know. Nothing nothing I’m not the type of person that makes a person pull a gun on me, my best friend and I love him like a brother. I’ve never… I do anything in the world for Boo.”