Jennifer Lackard, former Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety for the Mount Vernon Police Department, along with her husband James Lackard and their 20-year-old son Chase Lackard, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with an attempted gang-related shooting outside the Bronx Hall of Justice on June 29. Authorities allege that Jennifer Lackard served as the getaway driver and helped orchestrate the attack, which was carried out by her son, a member of the “Slutty Gang.”
According to court documents and police reports, the family traveled together from their home in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx to the site near East 161st Street and Grand Concourse, a few blocks from Yankee Stadium. Surveillance footage showed the three in a Chrysler Pacifica, with Jennifer Lackard initially driving, Chase in the front passenger seat, and James in the back. After circling the area for about 45 minutes, Chase reportedly fired multiple rounds from a semiautomatic handgun out of the rear window behind the courthouse, targeting members of a rival crew, P. Laafay. No injuries were reported.
Texts exchanged between Jennifer and Chase Lackard prior to the shooting allegedly included instructions on timing and positioning to avoid detection. Following the shooting, the couple switched seats in the vehicle as they fled the scene, and Chase changed clothes to evade identification. Prosecutors have charged all three with attempted murder, conspiracy, and reckless endangerment. Chase Lackard faces additional weapons charges, and his girlfriend, Briannah Harris, 20, was also arrested on weapons possession charges though she was not implicated in the shooting itself.
Jennifer Lackard, who earned $138,219 annually in her role, was terminated from the Mount Vernon Police Department shortly after her arrest. The department stated the allegations were unrelated to her official duties and removed her profile from its website. Her appointment in 2022 as deputy commissioner and head of the Wellness Unit was notable, given her prior experience in social work and community organizations for formerly incarcerated individuals, but no law enforcement background prior to joining the department was reported.
James Lackard, 55, has a criminal history that includes a decade-long federal prison sentence for heroin trafficking charges in North Carolina, from which he was released in 2020. He was not in custody as of Tuesday evening and is believed to be out of state. The family’s involvement in criminal activity reportedly extended beyond the shooting incident; police have described James as controlling drug sales for the gang, and Jennifer as a key figure in planning gang retaliation efforts.
Chase Lackard has a history of violent encounters with law enforcement and rival gangs, including an incident in November 2024 where police shot him twice in the leg after he allegedly brandished a firearm during a dispute in the Bronx. In 2023, at age 17, he was shot in the chest in a gang-related altercation on a public bus.
The case has drawn attention to law enforcement and political dynamics in Mount Vernon, a city of approximately 70,000 residents bordering the Bronx. Critics, including local law enforcement activists, have voiced concerns about leadership appointments within the police department and broader issues of governance, citing this case as emblematic of ongoing dysfunction.
Jennifer Lackard was arraigned Tuesday afternoon and held on $75,000 bail. Her son’s arraignment was pending as of Tuesday evening. The investigation and legal proceedings are ongoing.