2 police shots struck man, medical examiner says

Friday, January 1, 1904

photo Chattanooga Police continue to investigate the scene at 1332 Florida Street in Brainerd where a man was shot and killed by officers responding to an early-morning home invasion report.

A Hamilton County medical examiner's report reveals police shot a man twice before he died last week during a drug-related home invasion robbery.

Ronald Lovell Wright, 32, was armed with a shotgun and went out the rear window of a residence at 1332 Florida St. after reportedly kicking down the front door.

Chattanooga police already had the home surrounded minutes after receiving a phone call from a neighbor who witnessed the break-in.

Wright reportedly brandished the gun at officers in the backyard, and four officers -- Sgt. David Allen, Officer Justin Mitchell, Officer Bryan Moody, and Officer Jeremiah Cook -- opened fire.

Residents nearby reported hearing as many as five gunshots.

Wright was struck once in the chest and once in the left thigh, according to the report. He died on the scene.

The officers were placed on paid administrative leave, which is routine while investigators examine officer-involved shootings.

There have been three officer-involved shootings in Chattanooga this year, the total number that occurred in 2011.

No one answered the door Tuesday afternoon at Wright's residence in the Avondale neighborhood.

"It's hard. It's very hard right now," said Wright's mother, Cheryl Wright, in a brief statement over the phone.

Kevin Williams, 19, was arrested at the Florida Street home. He is charged with three counts of aggravated robbery and two counts of attempted aggravated robbery in connection to a home invasion.

Wright had four counts of aggravated assault and one count of reckless endangerment already pending in Hamilton County Criminal Court from a 2011 incident, according to records.