By Jerald Jimenez
25 Oct 2023, 09:21 AM EDT
The son of Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Chief John C. Drake Jr. was found dead in a shed following a police chase after being accused of wounding two police officers in a shooting last Saturday in Tennessee.
Drake, 38, reportedly stole a car at gunpoint and crashed into an outbuilding in the Edgehill area, south of downtown, WSMV-TV reported.
As officers surrounded the scene, a gunshot was heard and Drake was later found with a gunshot wound that he had apparently inflicted on himself, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
Metropolitan Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron said Drake had asked a man and woman to give him a ride in front of a house, and when they couldn’t or wouldn’t give him a ride, he pulled out a gun and demanded to keep the car. causing the theft to be reported to the authorities.
The police chief’s son was the main suspect in shooting officers Ashely Boleyjack and Gregory Kern, who were investigating a stolen vehicle outside a Dollar General store in La Vergne, a city about 20 miles southeast of Nashville.
Despite being shot, the officers were injured, but they recovered in the hospital and are out of danger.
Meanwhile, Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake confirmed Saturday that his son was the suspect in the shooting, saying he had not been a part of his life for some time.
“Despite my efforts and guidance during his early years and adolescence, my son resorted to years of criminal activity and is a convicted felon,” the police chief stated.
For his part, La Vergne Police Chief Christopher Moews thanked all of the officers involved in Tuesday night’s chase for their “firmness and dedication in pursuing this case” and said his prayers are with the chief. Drake and his family.
With information from the Associated Press