Daquan Mason
A youth who was charged with murder not long after his high school graduation has pleaded guilty to reduced charges in Criminal Court.
Daquan Malique Mason received 12 years for attempted second-degree murder and four years for reckless homicide in the slaying Sept. 25, 2022, of 32-year-old Roger Bell.
Mason earlier had gone to court to try to get his bond reduced, and Criminal Court Judge Boyd Patterson, after watching police video of the shooting, raised it to $650,000.
He said the video showed Mason, who was 19 at the time, firing in the direction of the victim.
Mason had been
charged with criminal homicide, attempted criminal homicide and reckless endangerment.
The video shows Mason in a gun battle with two other men.
Chattanooga Police responded at 10:16 p.m. to a call of shots fired at the 1000 block of S. Lyerly Street. Police were notified of multiple reports of the shooting.
Upon arrival, police observed an unoccupied yellow Dodge Charger with multiple bullet holes on the passenger side. Multiple shell casings were in the roadway.
Approximately one hour later, a 24-year-old man walked into Erlanger Hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg.
At 3:15 a.m., Bell was found dead at 2404 E. 12th St. He had been shot in the back.
Police said the video showed Mason firing at the two men. Bell ran across a front yard and south on S. Lyerly St. Police said he was shot once in the back as he tried to flee.
Police said Mason is seen shooting wildly toward a house and front yard, then firing more shots as he ran south on Lyerly Street.
Mason was taken in for questioning and he admitting being at the scene and firing the first shot, it was stated.
Jay Perry of the Public Defender's Office at the bond hearing said Mason had no prior criminal record. He said the detective on the case was no longer with the department.
He said Mason and Bell were friends, and they had driven to the scene together.
Prosecutor Addie Nester said the former detective was readily available and was called to testify at the bond hearing.
She said Mason had a beef with men at the scene and began firing multiple shots despite a young girl being present. She said, "Then he shoots his friend. He admits he fired first. He gets in a car with somebody else and leaves his friend to die. For a week he did not turn himself in."
The judge said the state had a strong case. He said, "Even if he took the life of the wrong person, the law does not excuse that."
The defendant's grandmother had said Mason could live with her in Piney Woods. She said at the time of the incident he was living with Malik Moss and being mentored for a rap music career.