Teenager killed on 13th Avenue in Chattanooga

photo Scraps of police tape remain on a fence at the corner of 13th Avenue and 34th Street on Tuesday morning following an overnight homicide.
photo Eric M Fluellen

Other homicides involving guns in 2013:

• Jan. 10: Edward Glenn, 28, was killed at 2500 O'Rear St.• Jan.12: Timothy Bumpass, 37, was shot to death at 4832 Swan Road.• Jan. 28: Terry Parker, 23, was killed at 1200 Grove St.• March 6: Lamunta Williams, 16, was shot to death in an abandoned house at 2623 Carr St.Source: Chattanooga Police Department, newspaper archives

A small piece of crime scene tape still laid in the road just hours after police found the body of an 18-year-old man early Tuesday morning.

Residents said they were awakened by the sound of gunshots. When police arrived, Eric Mason Fluellen was found dead in the 3200 block of 13th Avenue in East Lake just a couple of miles from his home.

He is the fifth person shot to death so far this year in Chattanooga. All were black men. All were killed in high crime areas. Their average age is 24. The last two victims were teens.

Chattanooga police said Fluellen was targeted, based on witness statements and evidence collected at the scene, Master Patrol Officer Nathan Hartwig said.

Fluellen is among eight people shot in Chattanooga in the past week.

Chattanooga police officer William McMillan is among those shot. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds while responding to a call at the East Lake Court housing projects.

Friends gathered at Fluellen's residence Tuesday afternoon to mourn. With tired, weeping eyes, a few declined to comment.

On Twitter, many people posted comments mourning Fluellen's death.

"This is a dream. I had [a] bad dream. All I can do is cry," posted one woman.

Another woman wrote, "Somebody know why Lil Eric died or who did it. Cause one he was SouthLake and two he don't go no where alone!"

Fluellen had three assault charges and an aggravated burglary arrest as a juvenile. He had pending charges for cocaine possession for resale from an arrest in June and unlicensed carrying of a weapon from an arrest in January, according to court records.

As of Tuesday afternoon, police had not made an arrest in his death.

Anyone with information is asked to call Chattanooga police at 698-2525.

Contact staff writer Beth Burger at bburger@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6406. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/abburger.

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