NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The estranged son of Nashville’s police chief, who was wanted in the shooting of two police officers outside a Dollar General store, has been found dead, authorities said.
Officers responded to 15th Avenue South in Nashville on Tuesday night, where they heard a muffled gunshot from an outbuilding and then found John C. Drake Jr. dead with a gunshot wound that was apparently self-inflicted, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a statement posted on social media. TBI will investigate Drake’s death at District Attorney Glenn Funk’s request and a full autopsy will be performed as a part of the investigation, the agency said.
Metro Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron said the younger Drake stole a car at gunpoint from a home southeast of downtown on Tuesday evening, WSMV-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. Drake drove away.
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.
Drake, 38, the son of Metro Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake, was accused of shooting two police officers outside of a Dollar General store in La Vergne, a city about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Nashville, on Saturday afternoon.
Police had warned that Drake, who was wanted on two counts of attempted first-degree murder, was considered armed and dangerous. The TBI had put Drake on its most wanted list with a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.
Officers Ashely Boleyjack and Gregory Kern were investigating a stolen vehicle outside the 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.
Chief Drake 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-years-old, resorted to years of criminal activity and is a convicted felon,” Drake said. “He now needs to be found and held accountable for his actions.”
In a statement posted on social media, Meows thanked all the officers involved in Tuesday night’s pursuit for their “steadfastness and dedication to seeing this case through” and said their prayers are with Chief Drake and his family.
