Mount Vernon, New York, police official Jennifer Lackard was fired and charged with attempted murder Tuesday after authorities accused her of driving the getaway car in a Bronx shooting allegedly carried out by her son.
Ms. Lackard, 49, who served as the Mount Vernon Police Department’s deputy commissioner of wellness, was arrested alongside her son, Chase Lackard, 20, at their home on Boynton Avenue Tuesday morning, according to ABC7 New York. The younger Mr. Lackard is accused of firing at a man associated with a rival gang the night of June 29 near East 162nd Street and Grand Avenue, behind Bronx Criminal Court. No one was struck by the gunfire.
Investigators allege Ms. Lackard was behind the wheel of the vehicle used during the shooting and drove away afterward. Mother and son were each charged with attempted murder, attempted assault, criminal possession of a firearm, conspiracy and reckless endangerment, according to Daily Voice.
The City of Mount Vernon said Ms. Lackard’s employment was terminated effective immediately following the charges. In a statement, city officials said “the allegations are unrelated to her duties with the Mount Vernon Police Department” and do not involve her official responsibilities.
In November 2024, NYPD officers shot Mr. Lackard in the leg after police said he pointed a 9 mm handgun toward officers during a Bronx confrontation, according to a statement by NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell reported by Audacy’s 1010 WINS. In January 2023, he was shot in the chest aboard a BX5 bus during what authorities described, per the New York Post, as a dispute involving gang signs.
Tuesday’s arrest also marks the fifth time this year that a member of the Mount Vernon Police Department has been taken into custody, News 12 Westchester reported. Neither Jennifer nor Chase Lackard had been arraigned as of Tuesday afternoon.
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