Nashville Police Chief's Son, John Drake Jr Found Dead After Shooting Incident

 


The son of the Nashville police chief, John Drake Jr., who was on the run for shooting two officers, was found dead on Tuesday night after a wild car chase, according to authorities.

John Drake Jr., aged 38, was wanted for two counts of trying to kill the police officers during an altercation on a Saturday night in La Vergne, a Nashville suburb.

John Drake Jr. reappeared on Tuesday when he carjacked a couple at gunpoint after they refused to give him a ride, as stated by Don Aaron, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

When the police spotted him in the stolen car, John Drake Jr. led them on a chase that ended in a car crash. He then got out and fled into a shed behind a home near downtown Nashville, according to Aaron.

"While the officers were surrounding the residence to contain the shed, a gunshot was heard, and it seems he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound," said Aaron.

At the request of Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will look into John Drake's death.

La Vergne Police Chief Christopher Moews stated on Tuesday night, "The La Vergne community and our heroic officers can rest easy tonight knowing that the manhunt for John Drake, Jr. is over."

John Drake Jr. had been on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's "most wanted" list, with authorities warning the public that he should be considered "armed and very dangerous."

The shooting occurred on a Saturday, prompting shelter-in-place orders in La Vergne, while the two officers were investigating a stolen vehicle, according to the police.

"During that investigation, they made contact with a subject," Moews said during a Saturday news conference. "They struggled with that subject, and during that struggle, the suspect produced a handgun and fired shots."

The injured officers, Ashely Boleyjack and Gregory Kern, had been released from the hospital and were recovering at home as of Tuesday morning, as confirmed by Moews.

The Metro Nashville Police Chief, John Drake, stated on Saturday that the suspect was his son, describing him as estranged. "Despite my efforts and guidance in the early and teenage years, my son, John Drake Jr., now 38-years-old, resorted to years of criminal activity and is a convicted felon," the chief said at the time.

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