Jury Shown Video Of College Hill Courts Shooting Victim Identifying Cortez Sims As The Gunman

  • Wednesday, April 5, 2017

A Criminal Court jury on Tuesday heard a victim in a four-person shooting at the College Hill Courts identify Cortez Sims as the gunman.

Chattanooga Housing Authority Officer James Avery was wearing a body camera when he asked Marcel "Baby Watts" Christopher who shot him in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, 2015. Chrisopher said "Cortez Sims" in a low voice, then in a louder voice, and then he yelled the name.

Sims, who was 17 at the time of the incident, is on trial for first-degree murder in the courtroom of Judge Barry Steelman.

The shooting left one woman dead, a toddler paralyzed, and two others wounded. Talitha Bowman was killed, while Christopher and Bianca Horton were shot. Zoe Horton, infant child of Ms. Horton, was struck by a bullet and left paralyzed.

Bianca Horton was later gunned down and her body left by the side of a road. She had identified Sims as the shooter during testimony at a transfer hearing in Juvenile Court.

Prosecutor Kevin Brown started his opening statement by repeating the words of Christopher in his identification of the shooter.

He said the case involves local gang warfare, saying Sims is a member of the Athens Park Bloods and Christopher one of the Bounty Hunters.

There were numerous 9mm shell casings and projectiles found at the crime scene.

Tim Pickard of the fugitive division said Sims was located outside an apartment complex in Knoxville two days after the shooting.

He said a cell phone box was found inside the apartment where he was staying. A flip phone was also taken from Sims. 

Mark Hamilton, who examines cell phones for the police, said not much information could be obtained off the phone. He said the first calls were from after the shooting.

It was testified that a handgun and shell casings were found at a residence on Talledega Avenue where relatives of Sims reside. But it was found the items were not connected to the shooting.

Detective Chris Blackwell said Sims has always been the lone suspect in the case.

He told of going to the hospital to interview the victims. He said it was a couple of days before Christopher was able to speak to him.

The detective said when he went to take a mouth swab from Zoe Horton she had s "smiling child's face" but was paralyzed from the waist down. He said she had to be propped up on a couch for the test.

 

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