CHATTANOOGA, TN - Officers with the Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) responded to a shots fired call around 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 12th at the Tyner Community Center after an alleged mass shooter opened fire, causing four people to be taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The shooting happened during an event hosted by Tyner Academy, as part of their alumni weekend, Local3 reported.
Graduates from 29 classes attended and could be seen mingling between tents.
Witnesses said that everyone was having a good time until they heard gunshots echo across the field.
"All the sudden, shots just started going everywhere, little kids and babies and everything were on the ground. It was bad. It was real bad," said Jeoffrey Herman, one of the witnesses.
Herman said he was about 50 yards away from where the gunshots sounded, and knew exactly what was happening, the moment it happened.
"Oh, yeah, it was gunshots," he said. His first reaction, along with the hundreds of others in attendance, was to get on the ground and take cover.
Herman said he and his friends walked away injury-free, but amid the panic and chaos, some people were injured while trying to run from the scene.
Some in attendance took to social media, sharing their experience.
"Thank you Lord for shielding my daughters and granddaughter today as they had to run, duck, crawl and trample dodging bullets ... 2 of my babies had minor injuries, mostly anxiety, cuts and bruises," one user posted.
Herman graduated in 1990, and the shooting was a shocking realization.
"For the younger generation and the kids coming up, watching, it's a bad example," he said. "It's just bad. It was really bad, and the people who go shot, I hope they recover well."
The investigation remains ongoing, and police have yet to identify a suspect.
