The three-day search for John C. Drake Jr., wanted after a shooting that injured two La Vergne police officers, ended late Tuesday night after he was found dead in Nashville, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
John C. Drake Jr., who was on TBI’s most wanted list and is the estranged son of Nashville Police Chief John Drake, was found dead from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the TBI said in a statement on X at 10:33 p.m. Tuesday.
Drake is Nashville police Chief John Drake’s “estranged son” with whom he’d had no contact with in years, the chief said Saturday.
Don Aaron, spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department said late Tuesday that Drake stole a car at gunpoint. Police responded to the area of Thompson Lane and Patricia Drive and chased the gold, Chrysler 200 to the 1400 block of 15th Avenue South.
“On 15th Avenue South, the car crashed. Drake fled from the vehicle into a shed behind a residence,” Aaron said. “While the officers were surrounding the residence to contain the shed, a gunshot was heard and it appears he has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
District Attorney General Glenn Funk requested TBI agents handle the investigation into Drake’s death.
A full autopsy will be performed as part of the investigation.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell sent his sympathy to Chief Drake Wednesday morning.
“This was a tragic end to John Drake Jr.’s life, and our heart goes out to Chief Drake and his family at this difficult time,” O’Connell said.
La Vergne shooting sparks manhunt
John C. Drake Jr. had been on the run since Saturday when La Vergne police responded to a Dollar General Store on River Road for a stolen car.
“They made contact with a subject. They struggled with that subject,” said La Vergne Police Chief Christopher Moews. “During that struggle the suspect produced a handgun and fired shots.”
The shooting injured officers Ashely Boleyjack and Gregory Kern. Both were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and have since been released.
John C. Drake Jr. fled the scene of the shooting, sparking a shelter-in-place order in La Vergne and a TBI Blue Alert issued statewide as law enforcement officers continued their search.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake calls for ‘estranged’ son’s arrest
Late Saturday night, Chief John Drake issued a statement confirming the shooting suspect is his “estranged” son.
“I am shocked and deeply saddened to learn that my estranged son, with whom I have had very minimal contact over many years, is the suspect in this afternoon’s shooting of the two La Vergne police officers,” read Chief John Drake’s statement, which goes on to say John C. Drake Jr. resorted to years of criminal activity despite his father’s guidance in his early life.
“He now needs to be found and held accountable for his actions today. I hope that anyone who sees him or has information about him will contact law enforcement immediately.”
