Cecil Scoffield, a 72-year-old male, was in his Chattanooga, Tennessee, home on the night of June 12, 2022, enjoying a game of solitaire on his computer when his life was abruptly ended. Gunfire erupted outside his residence at 2709 Citico Avenue around 10:30 p.m., and a stray bullet pierced through his apartment, striking and killing him as he sat inside.
Investigators later determined that Scoffield was not the intended target of the shooting.
The beloved family man, described as a retired individual who was a pillar of support for his relatives, was tragically caught in the crossfire of a dispute that had nothing to do with him. The incident also resulted in injuries to a woman who was sitting in a car nearby, highlighting the indiscriminate and reckless nature of the gunfire that night.
The investigation into the senseless killing led authorities to identify a suspect. On July 21, 2022, Chattanooga Police announced the arrest of 22-year-old Jamaal Cameron Lee White in connection with Scoffield's death. White was located and apprehended in Gwinnett County, Georgia, and awaited extradition back to Chattanooga to face a litany of serious charges.
Authorities reported that White had allegedly seen someone he believed had taken his car and opened fire at the vehicle as it tried to drive away. One of the multiple rounds he fired traveled into Scoffield's home, passing through his computer screen before fatally wounding him. Investigators recovered 17 shell casings from the scene, evidence of the violent outburst that claimed an innocent life. Jamaal White was charged with criminal homicide, attempted first-degree murder, felony reckless endangerment, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
