The Grove St. shooting nears its one-year anniversary; CPD still sees it as a priority

Police Chief Celeste Murphy says "we're going to figure out who you are and we're going to hold you accountable"

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – September 25th, 2021. One block along Grove Street in Chattanooga held the Westside Reunion. A block party that turned tragic that evening after seven women were shot, and two of them were killed.

Daryl Slaughter, the lead investigator on the case for the Chattanooga Police Department, says, “When they got out of their car that night, they never knew that they were going to come here and dance for the last time. When they drove here, they never knew that it was the last time they were ever going to start their car, or the last time they’re going to talk. Someone robbed them of that. Someone took that from them and we can’t ever get it back.”

363 days later, the case is unsolved.

This case hasn’t just been a priority for Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy. Other officials in the mayor’s office also want to see justice done.

Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy wants to ensure residents realize this is a priority for her and the department. “I want to call the mother of these victims. Mothers and families of these victims myself. That’s how passionate I am about this. To be able to tell them, ‘Listen. We got this. We got this solved. We got this taken care of, and the people that did this are going to be held to justice.'”

Chris Sands, the Interim Executive Director of the city’s Community Safety & Gun Violence Department, says this is important to his office, too. “Families are involved. The community is involved. People are involved. Because of that, it’s important and it’s imperative that we have a realization that this is still an unsolved crime and that we bring awareness to this particular matter. We highlight a lot of different issues, not just in the city and our world, but this is something that matters to all of us right here in Chattanooga, Tennessee.”

To emphasize that point, Chief Murphy has a message for the shooters, and anyone else committing crimes in the area.

“People that are out there and want to bring harm to Chattanooga… If it takes one day, if it takes one week, if it takes a month, or on the one-year anniversary, we’re going to figure out who you are and we’re going to hold you accountable for what you’re doing.”

There is a $21,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the case, but police need your help.

Anyone with any pictures or videos from the Westside Reunion that can help can call the Chattanooga Police Department, or use the Atlas One mobile app.

You don’t have to give your name.