What We Know About The Chattanooga Shooting Victims

Updated at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, July 20th

The death toll of Thursday’s attack in Chattanooga rose to five Saturday when 26-year old Navy Petty Officer Randall Smith succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained during the shooting.

A friend of Smith’s, Patrick Todero, told WPLN he was shocked to learn that he had died.

“He was an amazing man, a great friend, a devoted father,” he said. “And I want people to remember his wife and kids. They’re the ones who have to go on.”

With the passing of Logistics Specialist Second Class Randall Smith, USN, we as a state mourn another life lost from this senseless act.— Gov. Bill Haslam (@BillHaslam) July 18, 2015

WPLN’s Emily Siner was in Chattanooga over the weekend, on assignment for NPR. While there, she discovered a makeshift memorial in a Texas Roadhouse. An empty table was set with white tablecloth and five beer mugs turned upside down, one for each of the four Marines and one sailor.

At a Chattanooga Texas Roadhouse, the manager set the table for four empty seats on Friday — added another Saturday. pic.twitter.com/EyjJX1bepr— Emily Siner (@SinerSays) July 19, 2015

The Chattanooga Times Free Press has been reporting on memorials, motorcades and a motorcycle rally to honor the dead — as well as rumors that the Westboro Baptist Church plans to protest the funerals of the slain servicemen.

A crowd at this #ChattanoogaShooting memorial is awaiting Westboro Baptist Church protesters: http://t.co/Z0CZMLsaj1pic.twitter.com/hgLwMVoONR— Times Free Press (@TimesFreePress) July 20, 2015

Original Post

At this time, information about the victims of Thursday’s shooting in Chattanooga is trickling in through unofficial sources. We’ll add to this post as we learn more. 

The Chattanooga Times Free Press is reporting the names of all four Marines who were killed. Authorities have not officially released the names, but they have been discovered separately by reporters. They are: Thomas J. Sullivan, Skip Wells, David Wyatt and Carson Holmquist.

Dennis Pedigo, a Chattanooga Police officer, was injured in the attack by a gunshot to the ankle.

A press conference is scheduled for later this afternoon, when we might learn more from official sources. 

The family of 40-year old Thomas J. Sullivan, a native of Springfield, Massachusetts, have informed the Massachusetts news site MassLive.com that he was one of the victims. He reportedly served in Iraq and was awarded a Purple Heart. Sullivan’s identity was the first to be known by the media.

According to his Facebook profile, Skip Wells was from Northern Atlanta-suburb Marietta, Georgia. He studied history at Georgia Southern University in 2012 and 2013, but a family spokesman told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that Wells “felt that he wasn’t called to that and felt a calling to serve — in the Marines.”

According to The Tennessean, David Wyatt was from Chattanooga and has been identified on social media by “neighbors in Chattanooga and friends and family on social media.” 

Heartbroken to learn one of the Marines killed in Chatt. yesterday was a hs classmate of mine. Thank you David Wyatt for your service #RIP— Casey Pearce (@ccpearce) July 17, 2015