Top female police officer is arrested for attempted MURDER after being son's getaway driver, prosecutors say

A top police officer in New York has been arrested for attempted murder after she was her gangbanger son's getaway driver in a Bronx shooting, prosecutors say. 

Jennifer Lackard, the Deputy Commissioner of Wellness for the Mount Vernon Police Department, was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly driving her son who had opened fire near a courthouse. 

Lackard, 49, was fired from her position 'effective immediately' after her arrest at around 5.30am on Tuesday at her home in the Bronx, the MVPD said in a statement. 

The mother and her son, 20-year-old Chase Lackard, were both charged with attempted murder and conspiracy following a shooting behind the Bronx Hall of Justice. 

Police said Chase Lackard allegedly opened fire on a group behind the courthouse just before noon on June 29, and then jumped into a vehicle driven by his mother. 

No one was struck in the shooting, which was attributed to gang tensions, according to police. 

Chase, an alleged member of the 'Slutty Gang,' was shot in November 2024 by NYPD officers in Soundview after reports of a clash at the Stevenson Commons residential tower. 

He allegedly had been waving a gun around at the time and was shot twice in the leg after pointing a .9mm pistol at officers, police said, the New York Daily News reported.

Chase was charged with criminal use of a firearm and menacing a police officer. Three months prior, he was arrested for carrying a loaded gun but was granted supervised release, according to the outlet. 

He had also been involved in a gang-related incident in January 2023, and made headlines as a 17-year-old who had been shot in the chest on an MTA bus in Soundview, police said. 

Lackard joined on as deputy police commissioner in 2020 after serving on the Bronx Community Board 9. She founded several organizations which aimed to aid formerly incarcerated people re-integrate into society, the outlet reported. 

Her husband, James, was also arrested in North Carolina on drug charges in 2012. Lackard said she utilized her experience during this time to help mentor the wives of incarcerated men, according to the Daily News. 

She focused heavily on police reform, community complaints and community relations during her career at deputy commissioner. 

After she was appointed to the role by Mount Vernon's mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, Lackard told CBS News: 'We’re not going to wait for you to come to us. We are not going to wait for you to be overwhelmed and frustrated that protesting is your only option.'

'We’re coming to you and going to work with you to protect your civil liberties in order to build a safer and more vibrant city,' she continued. 

In a statement, MVPD said they were aware of the charges and noted that the allegations against Lackard '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 Mount Vernon Police Department remains fully committed to its nationally recognized Wellness Unit,' the statement continued. 

'The department will continue to operate without interruption, and the critical wellness services and support it provides to our officers, civilian employees, their families and the community at large will continue as part of the Department’s ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of its workforce.'

The Daily Mail reached out to the Mount Vernon Police Department for comment.