Jennifer Lackard Fired After Alleged Role in Son’s Bronx Shooting Plot 

A senior public safety official once associated with wellness and community support is now accused of participating in the kind of violence her department works to prevent. 

Jennifer Lackard, Mount Vernon’s former deputy commissioner of wellness, faces attempted murder and other felony charges after prosecutors accused her of helping her 20-year-old son carry out a shooting behind the Bronx Hall of Justice. 

The June 29 gunfire injured no one. Yet the allegations have raised a larger question about public trust because prosecutors say Lackard did more than react impulsively after her son fired the shots. They allege she participated in a coordinated plan involving transportation, carefully timed messages and an escape from the scene. 

Lackard has pleaded not guilty. The charges remain allegations, and prosecutors must prove them in court. 

Prosecutors describe a coordinated trip to the courthouse 

Lackard, 49, was arrested with her son, Chase Lackard, at their Bronx residence on August 4. An indictment also names Chase’s father, James Lackard, who had not been apprehended as of August 5, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. 

The three defendants face more than a dozen counts, including second-degree attempted murder, conspiracy, reckless endangerment and firearm-related offenses. 

Prosecutors allege that Jennifer drove the family from a Bronx residence to the courthouse on the morning of June 29. Chase reportedly had a court appearance that day involving an earlier gun case. 

Authorities accuse Chase of later firing a semiautomatic weapon from a vehicle toward a group standing behind the courthouse. Prosecutors said he was allegedly targeting a reputed member of a rival gang, but none of the bullets struck anyone. 

“These defendants allegedly conspired with each other to drive from their Bronx residence to the Hall of Justice for the purpose of shooting someone,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement quoted by ABC News. 

Clark added that it was fortunate no one was injured despite multiple shots being fired. 

Text messages sit at the center of the allegations 

The prosecution’s account depends partly on messages allegedly exchanged between Jennifer and her son. 

“Be directly In Fromt,” Chase allegedly wrote while instructing his mother where to be when he left the courthouse. The apparent spelling errors appear in the indictment as reported by ABC News. 

Jennifer allegedly asked when he would leave before responding, “You can’t just sit directly outside. It has to be timed right.” 

Prosecutors appear to view that exchange as evidence that Jennifer was coordinating the pickup rather than unknowingly becoming involved after the shooting. 

After collecting Jennifer and Chase outside the courthouse, James allegedly drove the vehicle behind the building. Authorities say Chase then fired several shots through a passenger-side window. 

Jennifer allegedly moved into the driver’s seat after the group fled and drove them back to the Bronx residence. The indictment further alleges that Chase changed his clothes “to avoid identification.” 

The prosecution will still have to establish what Jennifer knew, when she knew it, and whether her conduct satisfies the legal elements of attempted murder and conspiracy. Being present during a crime does not, by itself, prove agreement or intent, but prosecutors allege her involvement went beyond mere presence. 

A public wellness official confronts serious criminal charges 

Jennifer had served as Mount Vernon’s deputy commissioner of wellness since 2020. Her work involved health, healing and support for communities affected by violence and incarceration. 

That history now creates a sharp contrast with the prosecution’s allegations. 

“It is stunning that this public official would jeopardize her position and reputation to be involved in this alleged conspiracy,” Clark said. 

Mount Vernon terminated Jennifer’s employment immediately after her arrest. In a statement carried by NBC New York, the city emphasized that the alleged conduct had no connection to her job. 

“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 department said. 

The distinction matters. Authorities have not accused Jennifer of misusing police information, departmental equipment or her position to facilitate the alleged shooting. The case concerns her alleged private conduct, even though her public title has intensified attention surrounding it. 

Mount Vernon said it would not discuss the underlying allegations while the Bronx District Attorney’s Office continues the prosecution. 

Her defense points to two decades of community work 

Jennifer pleaded not guilty during her August 4 arraignment. A judge set bail at $75,000, and she remained in custody following the hearing. Her next court appearance is expected in September. 

Her lawyer urged the court to consider a professional record that she said differs dramatically from the prosecution’s portrayal. 

“Ms. Lackard has for 20 years dedicated her professional life to the health and healing of impacted communities,” the attorney said during the arraignment, according to WABC. 

The defense has not yet provided a detailed public response to the alleged messages or the prosecution’s timeline. Jennifer’s attorney told ABC News that she could not comment further at that time. 

Chase also pleaded not guilty. A judge ordered him held without bail, and he is scheduled to return to court in September. 

Reports describing Chase as a gang member or the intended target as belonging to a rival gang reflect allegations by law enforcement and prosecutors. Neither description should be treated as a proven judicial finding unless established through evidence in court. 

The case now turns from accusation to proof 

The indictment presents a dramatic account of a family allegedly traveling together to a courthouse, exchanging messages, opening fire and fleeing as a group. It also places a former public official at the center of an alleged conspiracy involving her own child. 

Those details will attract attention, but an indictment represents the prosecution’s case, not a verdict. Jennifer and Chase are entitled to the presumption of innocence while their lawyers challenge the evidence against them. 

For Mount Vernon, removing Jennifer from office did not resolve the questions surrounding the case. For prosecutors, the harder work now begins: proving that her alleged actions reflected criminal intent rather than proximity to her son’s conduct. 

No one was struck by the bullets fired behind the courthouse. The alleged plot, however, has already damaged a career built around public wellness and left a community waiting to learn whether the prosecution’s extraordinary account can withstand the scrutiny of a courtroom.