DPD investigating shots fired at business signs near Chattanooga Avenue

Published 5:10 pm Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Dalton Police Department is investigating two separate incidents of vandalism in the area of Chattanooga Avenue in which gunshots were fired at signs in front of businesses and buildings in the middle of the night.

The first incident happened sometime between Aug. 12 and Aug. 15, when owners of a carpet business at 414 North Park Drive discovered a bullet hole in the drop ceiling. Investigators found that the bullet had entered the front of the business through a wall. Two other bullet holes were found in a concrete wall and a metal roll-up door. The bullet that hit the concrete wall did not pass through, but the bullet that hit the metal door went through and hit a truck parked inside, breaking the windshield.

The second incident happened at approximately 12:20 a.m. on Wednesday when officers were dispatched to a broken glass alarm at the Cardiology Center of Dalton at 1411 Chattanooga Ave. Responding officers found that the glass window of an exam room had been broken by a bullet. A .45-caliber shell casing was found in the roadway in front of the business.

After searching the area, officers found that the signs in front of three other businesses along Chattanooga Road were also hit with bullets. Those businesses are Healthcom Federal Credit (1412 Chattanooga Road), Center for Spine and Pain Medicine (1413 Chattanooga Road) and Dalton Ear Nose and Throat (1436 Chattanooga Road). In each case, the damage to the signs was on the north-facing side, indicating that the shots were fired from a vehicle traveling south from the North Bypass. Shell casings were found in the roadway, indicating that the shots were fired from the street without entering the driveways at each building. Four of those were .45-caliber shell casings while the other was a 9-millimeter shell casing. In all four cases, the buildings were vacant at the time of the incident.

Investigators ask anyone with information on these incidents or the identity of the person or people responsible to contact Detective Chris Tucker at (706) 278-9085, extension 165.