Garrian King
Federal authorities have made an arrest in the shooting early Sunday morning on McCallie Avenue that left 14 people shot and three others hit by vehicles.
Garrian King, 28, also known as "Big G," was arrested Wednesday in Chattanooga by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and officers with the Chattanooga Police Department for being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). This arrest is in connection with the shootings that occurred on Sunday in Chattanooga.
An initial appearance was held Wednesday, in the United States District Court in Chattanooga, before United States Magistrate Judge Christopher H. Steger. King was detained without bond.
The details of the charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon by King on Monday are outlined in the arrest warrant and supporting affidavit.
A detention hearing is set for Thursday, June 16 at 10 a.m. before a United States Magistrate Judge. Pending this hearing, Kind will be held in custody by the United States Marshal and produced for the hearing.
An arresting agent from the ATF said, "On June 5 at approximately 2:37 a.m. Chattanooga Police Department officers responded to a 'shots fired' call at 2125 McCallie Avenue. Upon arrival, CPD located a large crowd of people in the street and several victims on scene suffering from gunshot wounds. One male victim was pronounced deceased on scene. Another victim was pronounced deceased after being transported to Erlanger Hospital. Other victims that were on scene were taken to Erlanger Hospital and Parkridge Hospital by personal vehicle.
"At this point, CPD secured the crime scene and called for the CPD Violent Crimes Bureau to respond. ATF also responded to the scene.
"CPD VCB observed numerous spent shell casings on the ground and located a blue Chevy Suburban backed into a parking space in the Walgreens parking lot across the street from the incident location. The blue Chevrolet Suburban was determined to be stolen. The vehicle was secured and towed to the Police Service Center for processing.
"CPD VCB reviewed camera footage from the Walgreens across from 2125 McCallie Ave. From the footage, CPD VCB learned that at approximately 2:07 a.m. the blue Chevy Suburban arrived at the Walgreens and backed into a parking space. A black male with a white shirt, khaki pants, white shoes and a white hat, a second black male wearing a black shirt and red shorts, and a third black male wearing a sports jersey with the number 14 and white shorts exited the vehicle and walked toward the incident location.
"The black male with a white shirt, khaki pants, white shoes and a white hat walked around the parking lot with an AR pistol in his hand. He then walked in between two other vehicles in the parking lot and walked back to the parking lot with a mask on. He was no longer wearing the white hat when he returned to the parking lot. He then walked out of view of the camera toward the incident location, and the shooting occurred.
"Video from a Facebook live video was obtained of the black male with a white shirt, khaki pants, white shoes and mask holding an AR pistol in his hand while standing in the street on McCallie Avenue in front of Mary's Bar and Grill. The man walked around the crowd while holding the gun. The black male with a black shirt and red shorts was seen standing with him. The man with the mask and gun was identified as a federally convicted felon. The black male wearing a black shirt and red shorts was identified as a known member of the Gangster Disciples street gang. King and the other man are known members of the Rollin 60 Crips street gang.
"At approximately 2:37 a.m., the black male wearing the sports jersey with the number 14 with white shorts seen exiting the blue Chevrolet Suburban prior to the shooting is seen getting into the passenger side front door of a white Land Rover SUV that is parked in the Walgreens parking lot. The black male wearing the sports jersey with the number 14 and white shorts was identified as King, also known as "Big G." King was identified through intelligence gathered and from officers' past experience involving King.
"The Land Rover SUV drove off through the parking lot towards South Willow Street. At approximately 2:40 a.m. it returned and King got into the passenger side front door of the white Land Rover. When he got into the Land Rover, King appeared to be carrying the AR pistol that the other man had prior to the shooting. The white Land Rover then left the scene heading through the parking lot towards South Willow Street.
"On Tuesday CPD located a white Land Rover matching the one seen on camera the night of the homicides parked at King's residence. King was present at the address. CPD, with help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, interviewed King, and King admitted that he was on scene on McCallie Avenue the night of the shooting. King further admitted that after the shooting occurred, he picked up the AR pistol that the other man had, got into the passenger seat of the white Land Rover and fled the scene. King admitted that he bought the AR pistol on May 28 for $800. King stated that he then drove to an unknown address on Milne Street and sold the rifle to a black male named 'Dre' for $500. Law enforcement, however, determined the King was not truthful regarding what he did with the AR pistol and they tracked the AR pistol to an address in Collegedale. The AR pistol was taken from the Collegedale address before law enforcement executed a search warrant on that address, but law enforcement was able to contact the person who took it from the Collegedale residence. The person who took the rifle from the Collegedale residence did not want to meet CPD, so they left the gun at an agreed-upon location, and CPD recovered it there.
"Prior to his possession of the gun, King was a convicted felon. On July 6, 2016, King was convicted of possession of marijuana for resale and possession of a deadly weapon in Hamilton County Criminal Court. King received a sentence of one year, suspended to probation, on each of these convictions. On Nov. 22, 2017, King was convicted of being a felon in possession of ammunition in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(l) and sentenced to 36 months' imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release by a District Court in the Eastern District of Tennessee. King is currently on supervised release for this conviction.
"It was determined that the firearm King possessed was manufactured outside the state of Tennessee and, therefore, did travel in and affect interstate and/or foreign commerce. Based on this, there is probable cause to charge and arrest King for being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 922(g)(l )."
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with all of its law enforcement partners to protect our community through the vigorous enforcement of federal criminal gun laws,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “Yesterday’s charge is the result of the tireless, around-the-clock work by, and collaboration among, the Chattanooga Police Department, the ATF and the FBI, which continues unabated.”
“Immediate deployment of all resources typically yields the best results. We will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners in order to bring those responsible to justice and secure the safety and freedom of all Chattanoogans,” said Chattanooga Police Department Chief Celeste Murphy.
“The ATF takes pride in working with our local, state and federal partners to bring justice to individuals who illegally possess firearms and willingly cause harm in the communities that we live in. These individuals put the lives of everyday citizens at risk, and we will work diligently to mitigate these senseless acts of terror,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Mickey French.
“The FBI values the partnership we have with the Chattanooga Police Department, ATF and the United States Attorney's Office to target offenders who illegally possess firearms in Chattanooga. Through this ongoing collaboration with local, state and federal law enforcement, we will continue to focus our resources on the most violent and egregious offenders endangering our communities,“ said FBI Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico.
This prosecution is the result of an ongoing investigation by the Chattanooga Police Department, the ATF and the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office extends its appreciation to the Chattanooga Mayor’s Office for its support of collaboration among local and federal law enforcement to achieve the mutual goal of addressing violent crime in the City of Chattanooga.
Assistant United States Attorney Christopher D. Poole will represent the United States.
Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly issued the following statement regarding the recent arrests of a suspect in connection with the McCallie Avenue shooting, as well as a second suspect in the Cherry Street shooting:
"Thanks to the tireless work of the Chattanooga Police Department and our federal partners, an individual was arrested yesterday in connection to the acts of violence that occurred early Sunday morning in Chattanooga on McCallie Avenue. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the ATF and the FBI for their collaboration in bringing those responsible to justice. Their partnership is a vital part of our ongoing strategy to address violent crime in our city."
"I also want to recognize the hard work by CPD's Fugitive Unit and the Bradley County Sheriff's Office in making a second arrest in connection with the downtown shooting that injured six of our city's youth. We will continue to relentlessly pursue those who use firearms to settle their differences, alongside our federal and community partners."