Federal Agents Raid Apartment In Chattanooga Military Shooting
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., July 21 (UPI) — FBI agents searched an apartment Monday to determine if two of Mohammad Abdulazeez’s acquaintances knew he planned to launch a deadly attack on a military recruitment center and a Navy operations support center.
Law enforcement converged on the apartment in Red Bank, north of Chattanooga, donned gloves and dug through the trash. Neighbors said five people were removed from the apartment. It’s unclear who lives there or the connection to Abdulazeez, the gunman who killed four Marines and a Navy sailor on Thursday. Abdulazeez died in a gun battle with law enforcement.
“Six had vests, seven cars, and we’ve seen them here for the past couple days,” said Dawson Wilson, who lives in the complex.
Family members said Abdulazeez, 24, had depression, abused drugs and expressed anti-American sentiments. He traveled to Jordan last year because his family feared his friends were a bad influence. Some said his attitude and demeanor changed on that trip.
His parents said they knew he was struggling but never considered him a threat. Ed Reinhold, the FBI agent heading the investigation, said agents have been scouring the city for clues that would offer a better explanation of what happened.
“We’ve been going all over this city talking to different friends and associates of our shooter. In order to make sure we have this investigation completely done we talk to everyone that we possibly can who may know or have been associated with the shooter,” he said.
During the search of the apartment Monday, a 15-year-old boy pointed what appeared to be a rifle at the FBI. The boy dropped the weapon, which turned out to be a toy. He also had a toy pistol in his pants.
“Our agents, I think, demonstrated exceptional restraint in dealing with the young man. And I would encourage folks not to come outside, and especially point weapons at law enforcement officers, that’s not a good mixture for a happy outcome,” Reinhold said.
Investigators said Abdulazeez, a University of Tennessee graduate, carried out his shooting spree from a rented Mustang convertible. In a span of 30 minutes, he opened fire at a military recruitment center in a strip mall and drove to a Navy operations support center, some seven miles away, and opened fire again, where he killed five. No one was injured in the first shooting.
The attacks are being investigated as “domestic terrorism,” but officials have not classified them as terrorism.
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