CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Chattanooga police say an ex-convict suspected of fatally shooting a veteran police officer was wanted in Colorado for robbery.
Sgt. James T. Chapin, 51, was killed in a shootout Saturday that broke out when police were responding to a robbery at a pawnshop.
Police said in a statement released Sunday that Chapin was shot in the head and Officer Lorin Johnston was struck in the back but was protected by a bulletproof vest.
The statement said “hearts are heavy” at the department.
Police were fired upon by Jesse R. Mathews, a parolee from Colorado, the statement said. The release does not list any charges against Mathews, who also was shot. It said Mathews’ condition and injuries were not being released because of his status as a fugitive.
Mathews, 25, became eligible for parole last year, according to the Colorado Department of Corrections website. It said Mathews was sentenced to prison in 2003, though it does not detail the offense.
Johnston was treated and released at a hospital.
Chattanooga Police Chief Bobby Dodd said Chapin’s fellow officers were shocked at his death. Chapin was the first Chattanooga officer to be fatally shot in the line of duty since 2002.
Police were called to U.S. Money Shops at 10:24 a.m. Saturday, and the first officer on the scene came under fire, the statement said. More officers responded, and Mathews fired on them after exiting a side door of the store.
