CHATTANOOGA, TN – A well-known Tennessee businessman was tragically killed in a shooting incident while on his way to his 20th high school reunion, according to local authorities. Christopher Wright, 38, was in downtown Chattanooga on Thursday evening to join his fellow Baylor School alumni when he became embroiled in a dispute with Darryl Roberts, a habitual offender known locally as “Too Tall.”
Security footage of the incident reveals Wright, a father of three young children, including a newborn, engaged in conversation with Roberts, 57, and another unidentified man before attempting to leave the scene. Wright then turned back to address the two men, at which point Roberts approached him and shot him in the head, according to police reports.
Emergency services rushed Wright to a nearby hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries. Roberts fled the scene but was apprehended by law enforcement the following day in a joint operation involving the US Marshals Service and the ATF.
Court documents reveal Roberts’ extensive criminal history, which includes charges of assault, theft, drug offenses, burglaries, traffic violations, and a 2000 case of aggravated robbery. One of his most notorious arrests involved a 2010 home invasion during which he fired six shots through a bedroom door. Despite the presence of an adult and four children behind the door, no injuries were reported.
Despite his numerous arrests, Roberts has never served more than six months in prison. He faces charges of first-degree murder, and he is now being held at the Hamilton County Jail on a $5 million bond.
The Baylor School community is mourning the loss of Wright, a former high school athlete who studied at Yale University before returning to Chattanooga to establish a successful business career. A GoFundMe page set up for Wright’s family has already raised nearly $400,000.
Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly expressed his condemnation of the shooting, describing it as a senseless act of gun violence.