Current:Home > InvestCarjacking call led police to chief’s son who was wanted in officers’ shooting. He died hours later-LoTradeCoin
Carjacking call led police to chief’s son who was wanted in officers’ shooting. He died hours later
View Date:2024-12-24 00:21:00
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — John Drake Jr. had been on the run for days when he showed up in a ski mask in a Nashville neighborhood and asked a woman for a ride in her car. His face was all over “wanted” notices, a suspect in the shooting and wounding of two police officers near Nashville, where his father is the police chief. When the woman said she didn’t have enough gas, Drake Jr. pulled out a pistol and stole her car.
About two hours after the carjacking on Tuesday, the chief’s estranged son was dead.
A newly released recording of the carjacking victim’s 911 call and bird’s-eye-view police video show some of Drake Jr.'s final movements. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is probing Drake Jr.'s death, and an autopsy is planned.
Drake Jr. crashed the stolen vehicle into another car, then ran through alleys and hopped fences into yards before breaking into a shed, according to video footage shot from a Nashville police helicopter that the department released Thursday. Police officers swarmed the area and heard one gunshot fired from the direction of the shed, the department said.
Drake Jr. became a “most wanted” suspect in the state after two La Vergne police officers, Ashley Boleyjack and Gregory Kern, were shot by a suspect Saturday while investigating a stolen vehicle outside a Dollar General store in their city about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Nashville. Both officers were treated and released.
Drake Jr., who had been wanted on two counts of attempted first-degree murder, was the son of Metro Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake. The chief issued a statement Saturday confirming his 38-year-old son was the suspect in the shooting. Drake said his son had not been part of his life for some time and that they had “very minimal” contact over many years.
Drake Jr.'s mother, Veleria East, pleaded before news cameras for Drake Jr. to turn himself, and said he could reach out to her.
Before the carjacking Tuesday, Drake Jr. asked a man in a front yard for a ride, but the man said he did not drive, according to police. Then he approached the woman and stole her car.
“He asked me for a ride. I told him I don’t have any gas and I can’t go anywhere,” the woman told a 911 operator in the call provided to the AP in a public records request. “He just told me to get out of the car at gunpoint.”
The 2.5 minute-long helicopter video footage from Tuesday follows Drake in the car, while an officer noted his every movement. As the driver’s side door of the stolen vehicle opened, Drake Jr. crashed into a parked car, and got out and ran.
He sprinted down an alleyway, hopped fences in and out of a backyard, took to another alley to jump a fence into another yard, then wandered around looking for somewhere to hide. He tried to kick in one door of the shed, then found another that opened. The video cuts off before showing officers surrounding the area.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Drake Jr. was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Afterward, his father thanked officers for their work tracking down Drake Jr. But he also said he had prayed that no one would be harmed, including his son.
“I am heartbroken and saddened by the outcome,” the chief said in a statement Tuesday. “I appreciate the condolences and kind words of support as my family and I privately mourn our loss.”
Drake, a Black law enforcement leader who has spent much of his career steering young people away from crime, said his son was involved in criminal activity for years despite his fatherly “efforts and guidance in the early and teenage years.” He called for his son to be found and held accountable.
Drake Jr. pleaded guilty to felonies for a 2008 aggravated rape and a 2017 aggravated assault, court records show. He has faced a variety of criminal charges over a span of more than 17 years, with a mix of convictions and dismissals, and spent years in prison.
veryGood! (29)
Related
- A pair of Trump officials have defended family separation and ramped-up deportations
- Jenn Tran Shares Off-Camera Conversation With Devin Strader During Bachelorette Finale Commercial Break
- Maine law thwarts impact of school choice decision, lawsuit says
- Target adds 1,300 new Halloween products for 2024, including $15 costumes
- Why was Jalen Ramsey traded? Dolphins CB facing former team on 'Monday Night Football'
- Ryan Seacrest vows to keep 'Wheel of Fortune' spinning as new host with Vanna White
- Get a $48.98 Deal on a $125 Perricone MD Serum That’s Like an Eye Lift in a Bottle
- As Alex Morgan announces retirement, a look back her storied soccer career
- Bohannan requests a recount in Iowa’s close congressional race as GOP wins control of House
- Bachelor Nation’s Maria Georgas Addresses Jenn Tran and Devin Strader Fallout
Ranking
- Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- Emma Roberts on the 'joy' of reading with her son and the Joan Didion book she revisits
- As obsession grows with UFOs on Earth, one group instead looks for aliens across galaxies
- Peacock's star-studded 'Fight Night' is the heist you won't believe is real: Review
- ‘I got my life back.’ Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program
- George Kittle, Trent Williams explain how 49ers are galvanized by Ricky Pearsall shooting
- Red Lobster says it will soon exit bankruptcy protection after judge approves seafood chain’s sale
- McDonald's changing up McFlurry with new mini versions, eco-friendly lids
Recommendation
-
Kelly Rowland and Nelly Reunite for Iconic Performance of Dilemma 2 Decades Later
-
Feeling the heat as Earth breaks yet another record for hottest summer
-
'Bachelorette' Jenn Tran addresses finale debacle: 'My heart is heavy grieving'
-
A Christian school appeals its ban on competing after it objected to a transgender player
-
Cruise ship rescues 4 from disabled catamaran hundreds of miles off Bermuda, officials say
-
Nicole Kidman Shares Relatable Way Her Daughters Sunday and Faith Wreak Havoc at Home
-
Target adds 1,300 new Halloween products for 2024, including $15 costumes
-
Can I still watch NFL and college football amid Disney-DirecTV dispute? Here's what to know