A former deputy police commissioner in Mount Vernon, New York, is facing attempted murder and other serious charges after prosecutors accused her of helping her son carry out a gang-related drive-by shooting outside a Bronx courthouse, according to a case reviewed by attorney and YouTuber Nathaniel “Nate” Broughty on his Nate the Lawyer channel.
Jennifer Lackard, 49, had served as Mount Vernon’s deputy police commissioner for wellness and public safety before she was arrested alongside her 20-year-old son, Chase Lackard. Prosecutors allege she drove the vehicle used in the June 29 shooting, while her son fired several rounds toward a group of people outside Bronx Criminal Court.
No one was struck by the gunfire.
Broughty emphasized near the end of his discussion that the charges remain allegations and that both defendants are presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove their case in court.
Prosecutors Say The Family Circled The Courthouse
Broughty said investigators began piecing the case together through surveillance footage surrounding the courthouse.
According to the evidence described in his video, detectives saw a tan Chrysler Pacifica circle the courthouse several times before a man put on a black mask, entered the vehicle and later fired toward a group near the building.
Investigators traced the vehicle to the Lackard family.
Broughty said police then conducted surveillance to confirm they had identified the correct minivan and found that the family was still using the same vehicle.
Authorities also believed Chase Lackard matched the person seen in surveillance footage putting on the mask before the shooting.
The alleged sequence is striking because prosecutors are not describing a sudden argument that escalated in seconds. Their theory is that the vehicle repeatedly moved around the area before the gunfire, which they say supports the idea of planning rather than a spontaneous confrontation.
Text Messages Are Central To The Case
The most damaging evidence described by Broughty may be a series of text messages that prosecutors say were exchanged between Chase and his mother.
According to the indictment discussed in the video, Chase allegedly texted Jennifer Lackard telling her to be directly in front when he left the courthouse.
Prosecutors say she answered, “You can’t just sit directly outside. It has to be timed right.”
Authorities allege Jennifer Lackard, her husband and her son then drove around the area for roughly 45 minutes before the shooting took place.
Broughty interpreted those messages as evidence that the family was coordinating where and when the vehicle would be positioned, although he also acknowledged that Lackard’s defense could argue the messages have been taken out of context.
That distinction is important. A text message can look incriminating when viewed beside surveillance footage, but prosecutors will still have to prove what it meant and whether Jennifer Lackard knew a shooting was about to happen.
Chase Lackard Had Previous Encounters With Police
Broughty also reviewed Chase Lackard’s prior history with law enforcement, including several incidents that had previously been reported by New York media.
NYPD officials said Chase had multiple contacts with police, including a gun arrest and an earlier incident with apparent gang ties.
A prior news report shown in Broughty’s video said Chase was involved in an officer-involved shooting in the Bronx after police encountered him holding a loaded 9mm handgun.
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Shell said at the time that officers were dealing with a young man in the community carrying a loaded semiautomatic firearm despite having been arrested on a gun charge months earlier.
Video from that incident showed Chase pulling out a handgun and pointing it toward officers, according to the report played by Broughty. Officers fired, striking him in the leg.
Police also said Chase had previously been shot in the chest during a gang-related fight on an MTA bus in January 2023.
Broughty was openly critical of how someone with that history remained free long enough to become accused in another serious gun case, although the earlier incidents and the current indictment are separate matters.
Shooting Was Allegedly Gang-Related
At Chase Lackard’s arraignment, prosecutors said the June courthouse shooting appeared to be connected to gang activity.
A prosecutor stated that the shots were fired toward a group containing at least one person believed to be a member of a rival gang, while investigators alleged that Chase was also associated with a gang.
Chase pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail.
Jennifer Lackard also pleaded not guilty to charges that include attempted murder, conspiracy, criminal possession of a weapon and other offenses. Her bail was set at $75,000 cash, and she was scheduled to return to court in September.
Broughty said prosecutors are treating Jennifer as a co-conspirator rather than simply as someone who happened to be driving.
That is a major legal difference. The case against her appears to depend on whether prosecutors can convince a jury that she knowingly helped set up the shooting, rather than merely transporting her son without understanding what he intended to do.
Mount Vernon Fired Lackard Immediately
Jennifer Lackard had worked in a senior role with the Mount Vernon Police Department for more than six years.
Broughty said she was appointed during the period of police reform that followed the 2020 George Floyd protests and had previously worked with a Bronx-based organization focused on helping formerly incarcerated people return to society.
Her role in Mount Vernon centered on wellness, public health, community outreach and connecting people in crisis with services rather than immediately resorting to arrest.
In an earlier clip, Lackard described encountering people experiencing mental health crises, including some who could become aggressive and others who repeatedly returned because they lacked proper support.
After the criminal charges became public, the City of Mount Vernon announced that her employment had been terminated effective immediately.
The city stressed that the allegations were unrelated to her official duties and did not involve conduct associated with the police department or the performance of her job.
Broughty used the case to sharply criticize the process by which Lackard had been appointed, arguing that she lacked traditional law-enforcement experience and describing her selection as a failure of diversity-focused hiring.
That was Broughty’s opinion, rather than a finding made by prosecutors or the city.
Broughty Says The Evidence Looks Serious, But It Still Has To Be Proven
Throughout much of the video, Broughty was highly skeptical of Lackard’s position and said the combination of surveillance footage, vehicle identification and text messages appeared damaging.
Still, as an attorney, he ended with a clear reminder that none of that makes her legally guilty.
“These are charges, meaning these are allegations and not fact,” he said.
Broughty noted that Lackard could argue she did not understand what her son planned to do, or that prosecutors are interpreting the messages in a way that strips them of context.
That possibility will matter greatly if the case reaches trial.
For now, prosecutors say a deputy police commissioner helped position a vehicle while her son prepared for a shooting outside a courthouse, then drove away after shots were fired toward an alleged rival group. The defense has not yet had the opportunity to test that evidence before a jury.
The allegations are extraordinary because of Lackard’s position, but the most important part of the case will not be the title she held. It will be whether prosecutors can prove that she knowingly crossed the line from being a mother driving her son to becoming an active participant in an attempted killing.
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