Man shot in Hixson taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries

Chattanooga police are investigating a shooting at River City North apartments on Hixson Pike.
Chattanooga police are investigating a shooting at River City North apartments on Hixson Pike.

A man in his 20's was left in critical condition after a shooting in Hixson Tuesday afternoon.

A person shot call was reported at 12:18 p.m. at River City North Apartments in the 3800 block of Hixson Pike. The man was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, Lt. Heather Williams said at the scene.

photo Mohammad Sharifi is shown in this photo provided by his fiancee, Sara Baluch. (Photo contributed by Sara Baluch)

Yellow crime scene tape cordoned off a large section of the complex where the victim was found.

Neighbors gathered in apartment breezeways and peaked from their balconies and porches, braving the cold, steady rain to watch investigators work the crime scene.

Men and women in uniform spread out across the lot and surrounding green spaces searching for any evidence left behind. They then started to knock on doors searching for anyone who might have heard or seen anything of relevance.

Two women, who did not want to identify themselves out of concerns for security, said they didn't hear any shots fired but saw several emergency vehicles pull into the complex.

At first, they said, they thought it was a fire alarm.

"That happens all the time," one woman said, noting that it's usually nothing too serious.

But then they saw more and more police vehicles arrive, blue lights flashing. So they decided to go outside for a closer look.

That's when they saw the victim lying in the parking lot of the complex.

He was loaded into an ambulance with what appeared to be a bandage around his head, they said, adding that nothing like this has happened in their neighborhood before.

Melody Drymon, who has lived in the complex with her family for about a year, was just getting home from school when she saw the group of police vehicles and yellow crime scene tape roping off a portion of her neighborhood.

"They wouldn't let us in for the longest time," she said.

Drymon said she's never seen anything like Tuesday's shooting before.

"[I'm] a little on edge but I should be able to rest easy," she said. "My condolences to the family. It's hard to take in, and on such a rainy day like this. It's really sad."

Police initially kept people out of the complex but had started letting people back in by the late afternoon. And no neighbors had been evacuated, Williams said.

"Right now, we're just trying to protect the crime scene and process it. It's going to take a while, especially with the weather conditions."

Police haven't released any suspect information at this time.

This is a developing story. Stay with the Times Free Press for updates.

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