Estranged son of Nashville police chief wanted for shooting 2 officers found dead: cops

The estranged son of Nashville’s top cop wanted in the shooting of two police officers has been found dead after a chase following a gun-point carjacking, according to officials.

Police were closing in on John C. Drake Jr., 38, late Tuesday when they heard a muffled gunshot from an outbuilding and then found the murder suspect dead from a seemingly self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.

The agency will investigate Drake’s death at District Attorney Glenn Funk’s request and a full autopsy will be performed as a part of the probe.

Metro Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron said Police Chief John Drake’s son, who had an extensive criminal history, stole a car at gunpoint from a home southeast of downtown Tuesday evening, WSMV-TV reported.

The younger Drake asked a man and woman in front of a home for a ride and when they refused, he pulled out a gun and carjacked them in the driveway, before speeding away.

Officers spotted the stolen car a short time later and followed it to the Edgehill area south of downtown, where it crashed.

John C. Drake, Jr. — the son of Metro Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake — was found dead from an apparent suicide Tuesday. Nashville Police Department via AP
La Vergne Police Officers Ashely Boleyjack and Gregory Kern were shot by a suspect while investigating a stolen vehicle.City of La Vergne via AP

Drake fled on foot to a shed behind a home and when officers closed in, a gunshot was heard, Aaron said.

The 38-year-old runaway was facing two counts of first-degree attempted murder for allegedly shooting a pair of police officers outside of a Dollar General store in La Vergne Saturday afternoon.

A photo released by the La Vergne Police Department of the suspect at the scene of the shooting.La Vergne Police Department

Police had warned that Drake was considered “armed and dangerous.” The TBI had put him on its most wanted list with a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.