Nov 2023. Blues Vol 39 No. 11

AROUND THE COUNTRY
NASHVILLE, TN.
The estranged son of Nashville’s police chief, wanted for
shooting two officers, apparently committed suicide after being
cornered in a shed after fleeing from officers in a stolen car.
NASHVILLE, TN. — The estranged
son of Nashville’s police chief, who
was wanted in the shooting of two
police officers, was found dead of a
self-inflicted gunshot wound after
leading police on a chase in a stolen
car, authorities said.
Police had been searching for
John Drake Jr., 38, since Saturday,
when two officers were shot and
wounded outside a Dollar General
store in La Vergne, a city about 20
miles southeast of Nashville.
Metro Nashville Police spokesman
Don Aaron said Drake stole a car at
gunpoint from a home southeast
of downtown Tuesday night, WS-
MV-TV reported. Drake asked a man
and woman in front of a home for
a ride and when they were unable
or unwilling to give him a ride, he
pulled out a gun and demanded the
car in the driveway, Aaron said.
Officers spotted the car a short
time later and followed it to the
Edgehill area south of downtown,
where it crashed. Drake fled to a
shed behind a home and when officers
surrounded the area, a gunshot
was heard, Aaron said.
Officers found Drake dead with a
gunshot wound that was apparently
self-inflicted, the Tennessee Bureau
of Investigation said in a statement
posted on social media. Drake, who
had been wanted on two counts of
These images provided by the City of La Vergne shows La Vergne Police
Officers Ashely Boleyjack and Gregory Kern.
attempted first-degree murder, was
the son of Metro Nashville Police
Department Chief John Drake. The
chief issued a statement Saturday
confirming his son was the suspect
in the shooting. He said his son has
not been part of his life for some
time.
“Despite my efforts and guidance
in the early and teenage years, my
son, John Drake Jr., now 38-yearsold,
resorted to years of criminal
activity and is a convicted felon,”
Drake said.
Officers Ashely Boleyjack and
Gregory Kern were investigating a
stolen vehicle outside the Dollar
General store when they struggled
with the suspect, who pulled
a handgun and shot them, said La
Vergne Police Chief Christopher
Moews. Both officers were treated
and released from Vanderbilt University
Medical Center.
Reprinted from Police1.com
32 The BLUES