Witnesses Recount Weekend Violence in Downtown Chattanooga

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Over the weekend there were multiple reports of shots fired Saturday during a fireworks display.

“We heard a gun go off about three or four times and we saw the sparks fly and the smoke in the air and we knew to take off running.”

This was the scene recorded after shots were fired in downtown Chattanooga during the fireworks display.

Chattanooga Police Department confirmed no one was injured.

We caught up with a witness of one of the reported shootings who says she ran into more than one altercation.

“Once we got to one point they start fighting or something in one direction so, we had to run back and it was just so much… I only saw one gun, but we heard conversations of oh such-and-such has a gun, so it’s like when do we get away from it,” said Marresa Burke.

Marresa Burke recently came back to Chattanooga after graduating from college, but she says she is shocked to hear about the violence from her parents and it was something else to actually witness it.

“Me as an adult, it’s like go anywhere because its like everywhere in Chattanooga is full of crime now,” stated Burke.

Cpt.Jerri Sutton:says”We are trying to cut down on the mischief that often comes downtown.”

Just two days ago another shooting occurred near the same location as the shooting Marresa ran away from.

Chattanooga Police attributes some of this violence coming from unsupervised minors and is making efforts to provide other alternatives.

Cpt. Jerri Sutton stated,  “The problems we have however, are the youth that come into the downtown area unattended and underage, the majority of those that frequent downtown don’t have many problems, but some juveniles come downtown with the intent to create mischief.”

“What happened to going outside and playing basketball from sun up to sun down like little stuff like that Chattanooga is missing,” said Burke.