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 early Sunday morning involving officers with the Chattanooga Police Department.
Preliminary information indicates that the incident began just after 11:30 p.m. (ET) Saturday night when officers with the Chattanooga Police Department responded to a report of a domestic assault in the 1900 block of South Kelley Street. Upon arrival, officers made contact with a 17-year-old male. The TBI has identified the teenager as David Mendez Lopez, who was armed with a gun. The individual refused to comply with verbal commands and would not come out of the residence. The Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team was called, and police negotiators began speaking with the teen in an attempt to get him to surrender. For reasons still under investigation, the situation escalated, and officers discharged their service weapons, striking the teen. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. No officers were injured during the incident.
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.
