NY police official arrested for alleged role in Bronx gang shooting sparks partisan silence

Ex-Mount Vernon Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard faces attempted-murder charges after prosecutors allege she drove her son, Chase Lackard, to a Bronx court hearing and then to a suspected gang rival, culminating in a failed drive-by shooting on June 29. Lackard, who was hired in 2020 for the police department’s Wellness Unit despite no prior policing background, was fired on the day of her arrest. The incident has ignited partisan tension: Republican officials have condemned the alleged abuse of authority, while most local Democrats have either declined to comment or offered only vague statements, with Governor Kathy Hochul’s office emphasizing public-safety standards.

State Senator Jamaal Bailey called the allegations “unacceptable and incredibly serious,” yet noted they occurred outside official duties. Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, a sorority sister of Lackard, defended the hiring process as thorough, though no higher-level investigation has been announced. The scandal arrives amid a history of controversies in Mount Vernon, a heavily Democratic city that wields significant electoral influence in Westchester County.