
Police in Tennessee were looking for the suspect in the killing of two police officers outside a Dollar General store on Sunday. He is the estranged son of Nashville’s police commissioner.
On Saturday afternoon, while police in La Vergne, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Nashville, investigated a stolen car outside the store, the suspect drew a handgun and fired the officers, according to LaVergne Police Chief Christopher Moews.
The suspect was identified by police as John C. Drake Jr., 38, the chief of the Metro Nashville Police Department.
The right forearm and groin of one of the officers were shot twice, while the rear left shoulder of the second officer was struck. Both were sent to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center. On Saturday night, one of the officers was discharged from the hospital. According to Anne Smith, a representative for the city of La Vergne, the other officer was kept overnight for monitoring and was in stable condition. Their names have not been made public.
The police chief confirmed that his son was the shooting suspect in a statement on Saturday. Drake said that he had little touch with his son throughout the years and that they were estranged. A convicted felon, the younger Drake “resorted to years of criminal activity,” the speaker claimed.
He must now be located and made to answer for his conduct from today. I really hope that anyone who sees him or knows anything about him will call the police right away,” Drake stated in the statement.
Drake was sought after on two counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which announced the information on social media. According to Smith, the search is including nearly a dozen law enforcement agencies.
The La Vergne police ordered municipal residents to shelter in place after the shooting. The department stated in a social media post that the shelter order was later revoked while the hunt for Drake went on.
In a statement, Mayor Freddie O’Connell expressed his support for the police chief.
“My thoughts are with Chief Drake, his family, and the two hurt police officers from LaVergne. I am aware that, despite our best efforts, including throughout their formative years, we cannot control the decisions made by family members, said O’Connell. “I stand behind Chief Drake and support him at this trying time.