Dalton man dead from gunshot to the head, investigation continues

Published 6:52 pm Monday, March 2, 2020

A Dalton man was found dead in a car with a gunshot wound to the head early Sunday morning on I-75 South south of exit 348 (Ringgold), the Catoosa County sheriff said in a press release.

The deceased was identified as Noel Lopez, 35, of 979 Twin Springs Road S.E. No criminal charges have been filed.

Sheriff Gary R. Sisk said in a press release that at 2:55 a.m. the sheriff’s office and the Ringgold Police Department responded to a call of an individual in a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head on I-75 South. Deputies found the driver dead.

The press release said two women were in the car at the time of the incident, Lopez’ wife and a friend. The three had gone to a bar in Chattanooga around 11 p.m., “where they consumed alcohol for several hours,” the press release said.

The women told deputies there was a “mutually physical domestic argument going on between Noel Lopez and his wife in the front seat while they were traveling down the Interstate. A gun became involved, and it discharged, striking Mr. Lopez in the head. The vehicle came to rest in the middle of Interstate 75 southbound.”

Evidence is being evaluated “to determine the facts of this incident,” the press release said. “This is an ongoing investigation, so no further information will be released at this time.”

Lopez’ body was taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab for an autopsy.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Tim Busby or Capt. Chris Lyons with the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office at (706) 935-2424.