MOUNT VERNON, NY — An embattled city official has been fired following her arrest by the NYPD.
The Mount Vernon Police Department announced this afternoon that the Deputy Public Safety Commissioner has been terminated effective immediately.
"The Mount Vernon Police Department is aware of the criminal charges filed by the Bronx County District Attorney's Office against former Deputy Commissioner of Wellness, Jennifer Lackard," the department said in a statement. "Effective immediately, the City of Mount Vernon has terminated Jennifer Lackard's employment.The allegations are unrelated to her duties with the Mount Vernon Police Department and do not stem from any conduct associated with the Department or the performance of her official responsibilities ... As this is an active criminal matter being prosecuted by the Bronx County District Attorney's Office, the Mount Vernon Police Department will not comment on the underlying allegations."
The Mount Vernon Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety and her son were arrested Tuesday in connection with a June 29 shooting near the Bronx Hall of Justice, according to the New York Daily News.
The newspaper reported 49-year-old Jennifer Lackard and 20-year-old Chase Lackard were taken into custody around 5:30 a.m. at their home in the Soundview section of the Bronx. Both were charged with attempted murder, attempted assault, gun possession, conspiracy and reckless endangerment, according to the report citing police sources.
The New York Post reported that the mother had not yet been arraigned.
Chase Lackard was accused of firing at a group behind the courthouse near E. 162nd St. and Grand Ave. just before noon on June 29, then getting into a car driven by his mother, according to the Post.
No one was hit, and police linked the shooting to gang tensions, the Daily News reported.
Chase Lackard was previously wounded by police in November 2024 after police said he pointed a 9 mm pistol at officers in Soundview. He also was shot in the chest on a BX5 bus in 2023.
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Mount Vernon police officials said they will not let the off-duty allegations tarnish a program that has earned praise for its effectiveness.
"The Mount Vernon Police Department remains fully committed to its nationally recognized Wellness Unit," the department said. "The department will continue to operate without interruption, and the critical wellness services and support it provides to our officers, civilian employees, their families and the community at large will continue as part of the Department's ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of its workforce."
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