High-ranking police official and ex-con husband helped gangbanger son flee drive-by shooting: Prosecutors

A high-ranking law enforcement official in New York state and her husband have been arrested after prosecutors alleged they helped their son flee the scene of a shooting that targeted a suspected rival gang member in a getaway vehicle.

Jennifer Lackard, 49, was employed as the deputy commissioner of wellness for the Mount Vernon Police Department.

'It is stunning that this public official would jeopardize her position and reputation to be involved in this alleged conspiracy.'

Lackard and her 20-year-old son, Chase Lackard, were arrested around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday following the execution of a search warrant at the family's Bronx apartment, according to WCBS-TV.

Jennifer Lackard pleaded not guilty.

James Lackard, Jennifer's 47-year-old husband, turned himself in to the 44th Precinct station house in the Bronx around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, according to the New York Post.

WCBS reported that the trio was charged with attempted murder, three counts of attempted assault, six counts of weapons possession, one count of conspiracy, and one count of reckless endangerment.

Court records show that Jennifer Lackard and her son each were released on $75,000 bail, and the father — James Lackard — was held on $300,000 bail, according to the New York Post.

A newly unsealed indictment states that the family participated in a coordinated shooting attack outside the Bronx Criminal Courthouse around noon June 29.

WABC-TV reported that the parents drove their son to the courthouse in their tan Chrysler Pacifica, and Chase Lackard fired a semiautomatic gun out of the vehicle's window.

Prosecutors said Chase — a reported member of the Slutty Gang — was targeting a member of a rival gang, the Sex Money Murder crew.

However, prosecutors said the shooter missed the target, and nobody was injured in the alleged attack.

The indictment said Chase Lackard sent a text message instructing his mother to pick him up in the front of the courthouse.

Jennifer Lackard asked her son what time to be there, according to the indictment.

"You can't just sit directly outside. It has to be timed right," she texted, ABC News reported, citing the indictment.

The mother drove the family back to their home, according to the indictment.

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ABC News, citing the indictment, reported that Jennifer Lackard's "son changed his clothing "to avoid identification."

Prosecutors said the shooting was caught on surveillance video.

According to ABC News, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark stated:

These defendants allegedly conspired with each other to drive from their Bronx residence to the Hall of Justice for the purpose of shooting someone. Despite multiple shots being fired, thankfully no one was hit.

It is stunning that this public official would jeopardize her position and reputation to be involved in this alleged conspiracy.

Jennifer Lackard was terminated from her position with the Mount Vernon Police Department.

The City of Mount Vernon said in a statement, "Effective immediately, the City of Mount Vernon has terminated Mrs. Lackard's employment."

"The allegations are unrelated to her duties with the Mount Vernon Police Department and do not stem from any conduct associated with the Department or the performance of her official responsibilities," the statement read.

Lackard was paid a salary of $138,219 last year, according to online payroll records.

The Mount Vernon Police Department said in a statement that it was aware of the criminal history of Jennifer Lackard's husband.

"As part of the hiring process, information regarding her husband’s prior criminal history was disclosed and reviewed and deemed not to be disqualifying for her civilian position," the statement said.

The Mount Vernon Police Department stated that it will not comment on the situation any further because it is an active investigation.

The Journal News reported that Jennifer Lackard founded the Ivy House Center for Self-Sufficiency, a former nonprofit substance abuse and mental health outpatient treatment center in North Carolina, in 2007.

However, the center was forced to close in 2012 because James Lackard was arrested on drug charges.

WCBS-TV reported that a 2012 federal indictment shows James Lackard previously served 52 months on a drug conviction before later pleading guilty in another federal drug case.

Meanwhile, Chase Lackard reportedly has a history of encounters with police.

According to the Journal News, Chase Lackard has pending criminal cases in the Bronx and Manhattan.

The Journal News reported:

In November 2024 he was arrested after being shot in the leg by an NYPD officer when he allegedly pointed a gun at officers following a fight in the Soundview neighborhood. Three months earlier, he was arrested on gun charges in Manhattan. In 2023 he was shot in the chest during a gang-related fight on an MTA bus in the Bronx.

The NYPD stated that Jennifer Lackard has no criminal history in New York City.

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