Chattanooga man killed, Catoosa deputy injured in late-night shooting

RINGGOLD, Ga. - A Chattanooga man is dead and a Catoosa County deputy injured in a late-night encounter, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Dameion Coonrod, 32, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was shot and killed during the incident in the 600 block of Karen Drive in Ringgold, authorities said. The shooting occurred at approximately 10:25 p.m. Sunday after Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies and a Georgia State Patrol trooper responded to a 911 call reporting gunfire outside a home.

According to the GBI, deputies met with the 911 caller, who told them the shots came from a neighboring property. Upon arrival at the house, deputies and the trooper encountered Coonrod, who attempted to flee the scene in a Genesis SUV.

A deputy deployed a Taser in an effort to stop Coonrod, but he continued trying to drive away while a deputy was positioned near the vehicle. The deputy fired his weapon, and additional shots were fired into the SUV by the second deputy and the state trooper, striking Coonrod.

After the shooting, the SUV continued moving, crashing into a tree and the house. A firearm was later recovered from inside the vehicle, officials said.

GBI investigators comb over a vehicle for clues after a shooting involving a Catoosa County deputy and a man from Chattanooga on Dec. 15, 2024. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)

A woman who was in the front passenger seat of the SUV was not injured during the incident.

Coonrod was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His body will be taken to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

One deputy was treated and released from a local hospital for injuries sustained during the encounter.

The GBI is conducting an independent investigation and the findings will be turned over to the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review upon its completion.