by Dollita Okine, Face2FaceAfrica.com
ount Vernon Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard, 49, and her ex-con husband, James Lackard, allegedly assisted their son, Chase, in a failed shooting attempt against a rival gang in the Bronx.
On June 29, they drove him to the Bronx Criminal Court, where he fired a semiautomatic weapon from their Chrysler Pacifica but missed his targets. After the botched hit, the family quickly switched seats and had Chase change clothes to evade capture, according to a criminal indictment.
“Effective immediately, the City of Mount Vernon has terminated Jennifer Lackard’s employment,” the department said in a news release, according to the New York Post.
“The allegations 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 three face charges of attempted murder, conspiracy, and reckless endangerment. Jennifer Lackard was arraigned on August 4 and held on $75,000 bail by Bronx Judge Laurence Busching, while Chase awaited arraignment.
The indictment details the lengths the parents went to assist their son in attempting to murder rivals. Records indicate the mother drove from their home on Boynton Avenue to the Bronx Hall of Justice, where she and her son entered while the father remained in the driver’s seat.
“Be directly in Front (sic) When I Leave,” Chase texted his mom, per the indictment.
She allegedly advised her son not to be directly outside of the Hall of Justice, saying, “When? … You can’t just sit directly outside. It has to be timed right.”
The indictment states that Chase Lackard went inside the building, came out wearing a mask, and got into the back of the Chrysler. His mother soon followed in the passenger seat. The three of them drove around until Chase fired several shots from his semi automatic.
Records indicate the family then sped away a few blocks, where the parents swapped seats, and Chase changed clothes in the back.
His parents then dropped him back off at home.
Chase Lackard’s girlfriend was also arrested, but her role was left out of Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark’s indictment.
Jennifer Lackard, despite having no prior police experience, was appointed deputy commissioner of the Mount Vernon Police Department’s Wellness Unit in 2022, telling News 12 that the unit would handle mental health crises using unconventional methods.
Lackard said at the time, “A lot of the people we encounter are in a mental health crisis. Some are combatant, some are really, really aggressive, and some are not. And some are frequent fliers because they don’t have support.”
Her social media profile indicated she had previously worked with reentry programs for formerly incarcerated individuals.
Her husband, James, served a decade in prison for a heroin distribution conspiracy in North Carolina and was released in February 2020.
During her tenure, her son, Chase Lackard, engaged in gang activity, including a November 2024 incident where he pointed a loaded Glock 43 9mm at police. He was shot twice in the leg by officers and charged with criminal firearm use and menacing a police officer.
A year prior, the 17-year-old was shot in the chest on a Bx5 bus in Soundview after fighting three youths. Chase allegedly flashed gang signs, questioned their affiliation, and attempted to drag one off the bus.
Then one of them shot him in the chest.
According to a statement from municipal officials, the charges against Jennifer Lackard are unrelated to her work with the Mount Vernon Police Department.
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