At the request of 11th Judicial District Attorney General Coty Wamp, TBI special agents are investigating the circumstances leading to a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred Friday night involving officers with the Chattanooga Police Department.
Preliminary information indicates that some time after 9:30 p.m. (ET), officers with the Chattanooga Police Department attempted to arrest Roger Heard, Jr., (DOB 02/07/1989) on outstanding warrants, at a business at 1330 East 3rd Street in Chattanooga. Reports from the scene indicate that during the encounter, Heard exited a vehicle and produced a pistol. At that time, multiple officers discharged their service weapons, striking Heard. He was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. During the use of force incident, one officer sustained gunshot wounds and was also taken to an area hospital, where he was treated and has since been released.
TBI agents continue to work to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews. Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the District Attorney General for her review and consideration. The TBI acts solely as fact-finders in its cases and does not determine whether the actions of an officer were justified in these types of matters; that decision rests with the District Attorney General requesting TBI’s involvement.
The TBI does not identify the officers involved in these types of incidents and instead refers questions of that nature to the respective department to answer as it sees fit.
Any available updates on this investigation will be posted online at TBINewsroom.com.
TBINewsroom.com 