A Tennessee prosecutor is facing charges of reckless endangerment after he allegedly shot at a woman and her child while chasing three fugitives.
Chris Stanford, who covers Van Buren and Warren counties in The Volunteer State, was charged Monday following the Nov. 21 shooting in Smithville.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, he had been involved in an attempt to arrest three suspects in connection with a triple homicide.
The Warren and DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department had attempted to arrest Caleb Dias Brookins, 28, Hannah McKenzi Rose, 21, and Jessica Root, 28.
Sanford allegedly chased Rose and Brookins with deputies and a Homeland Security officer.
Footage from the scene shows Stanford appearing to fire several shots with his gun at a vehicle on the residential street after the car runs over another officer.
He then gives chase on foot, with it later revealed that the rounds he fired entered a nearby apartment, narrowly missing a mother and her 3-year-old daughter.
His complaint states that he fired the shots “unlawfully, intentionally and recklessly” and that he did not point the gun but “simply extended it and fired.”
Footage taken from the scene shows Stanford, left, firing multiple shots from his gun at a vehicle on the residential street after the car runs over another officer
Stanford, who covers Van Buren and Warren counties in The Volunteer State, was charged Monday following the Nov. 21 shooting in Smithville
Stanford surrendered at the DeKalb County Jail and was released after posting $10,000 bond. Brookins, Rose and Root were all taken into custody.
The homeland security officer who was struck by the vehicle was injured and taken to the hospital, according to a social media post from District Attorney Bryant Dunaway.
DeKalb County Sheriff Patrick Ray said in a statement to the Smithville Review, “The woman driving the car (Rose) rammed a DeKalb Sheriff’s Department truck.
‘They tried to get away and ran into the garden of a house on Bell Street.
“It was at this point that District Attorney Stanford, who was on scene, opened fire but was unable to hit the vehicle or the suspects.”
In a statement to WTVF-TV, Stanfrod said he fired shots after Homeland Security was struck by the car.
He said: ‘The vehicle then drove towards me and others and accelerated rapidly. I fired my service weapon in defense of myself and others at the scene.
“Based on my training and the circumstances that presented themselves, I believe my actions were necessary and justified.”
Stanford surrendered at the DeKalb County Jail and was released after posting $10,000 bond
L-R: Jessica Root, Hannah McKenzi Rose and Caleb Dias Brookins were all detained by officers following the incident
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said: “On November 21, agents began investigating the incident involving 31st Judicial Attorney General Christopher Robert Stanford.
“The investigation revealed that while pursuing a wanted fugitive, Stanford fired a handgun several times on Bell Street in Smithville, striking a home where a woman and her three children lived.”
According to WGNSBrookins and Root face three murder charges, while Rose was only charged with evading arrest and aggravated assault.
Brookins and Root were identified as the suspects involved in the deaths of three people.
The two allegedly murdered William Piechocniski, Dana Ramsden and Otis Hawks II who were found in McMinnville.
Stanford is expected to appear in court on January 7 in connection with his charges.