Emily Leanne Brooks
A woman has been arrested in the murder of 28-year-old Eric Burchfield in Hixson early Friday morning.
Police identified her as Ember Lee Cash Elm.
She was booked as Emily Leanne Brooks Johnson, 26, of 4024 Woodmont Dr.
At 3:25 a.m., Chattanooga Police responded to a person who had been shot at the Kangaroo Express at 4849 Hixson Pike.
Officers were on regular patrol in the area and located the victim lying face up under a sign at the gas station. He was suffering from a single gunshot wound to the back. The body was next to his vehicle.
A spent 380 caliber casing was at the scene.
An officer who went to the home of the victim's mother said she told him, "Ember killed him."
She gave a description of the suspect that closely matched that of a witness at the gas station.
The victim's cell phone was examined and it "displayed messages consistent with two parties being at odds."
The suspect was located at her residence at 6210 Tall Pine Lane.
While detectives were waiting for crime scene technicians to arrive, she escaped from handcuffs. However, she was quickly apprehended.
While she was free, she tried to retrieve an item from an unzipped pouch of a back pack. An officer kicked the backpack so she could not reach it.
The pouch was found to contain a black 380 semi-automatic handgun.
She is charged with criminal homicide and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Her bond is $1 million on the murder and $5,000 on the gun charge.
Emily Leanne Brooks was arrested in East Ridge for domestic assault in 2015. Her record also includes arrests for theft, disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing.
The victim's funeral will be Tuesday at 1 p.m. at The Ministry Center.
He was a graduate of Red Bank High School and Chattanooga State Community College. He was a member of the Ministry Center.
Survivors include his parents, Robert and Sheba Coppit; a brother, Steven (Brittany) Burchfield; a niece, Katie Burchfield; a nephew, Chase Burchfield; father and step-mother, Richard and Marlene Burchfield.
Interment will be in Hamilton Memorial Gardens.
Eric Burchfield