On Monday, a district attorney from Tennessee faced charges for allegedly shooting at murder suspects who were fleeing from law enforcement, accidentally hitting a house where a woman and her three children were inside.
The district attorney, Chris Stanford, who serves the 31st Judicial District in Tennessee, was formally accused of reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling. These charges arise from an incident in November in Smithville, during an attempt to apprehend three individuals linked to a triple homicide, as reported by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
During the pursuit of the suspects, namely Caleb Dias Brookins, 28, Hannah McKenzi Rose, 21, and Jessica Root, 28, in DeKalb County, deputies from Warren and DeKalb County were involved. Additionally, Chris Stanford, aged 43, teamed up with the deputies and a Homeland Security officer to assist in the chase.
Rose and Brookins allegedly hit the officer with their car, injuring his leg, just before the shooting occurred, according to police.
“On Nov. 21, agents began investigating the incident involving 31st Judicial District Attorney General Christopher Robert Stanford,” TBI said Monday.
“The investigation revealed that, during the pursuit of a wanted fugitive, Stanford fired a gun several times on Bell Street in Smithville, striking a home occupied by a woman and her three children.”
Stanford was indicted in a special session of the DeKalb County Grand Jury on Monday, the Smithville Review reports. He later surrendered at the DeKalb County Jail and was freed after posting a $10,000 bond.
[Feature Photo: Christopher Stanton/ Rigjt: DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office); Left: 31st Judicial District]
