The New York Police Department says Jennifer Lacour went from being a public safety official in Mount Vernon to a getaway driver. Police arrested her and her son this morning. They say she drove the car for him after he allegedly shot at a rival gang member behind the Bronx Criminal Courthouse last week. Today, she went there to face a judge..
The incident happened directly behind that courthouse in broad daylight around noon on June 29th. Prosecutors say Jennifer Lacour, 49, is charged with attempted murder and assault. They claim her son came here for a court appearance—and instead, opened fire from a moving vehicle. Jennifer Lacour, a former deputy commissioner of public safety for the Mount Vernon Police Department, walked into the Bronx Criminal Courthouse accused of being involved in a reckless drive-by shooting outside the very same courthouse.
The prosecution laid out the charges during Tuesday afternoon’s hearing, telling the court that the June 29th shooting was fully captured on surveillance cameras. The footage shows Lacour, her husband James, and their son Chase leaving their apartment in Soundview that morning. Their son, 20,is allegedly a gang member and had a court date that day ona gun charge. But when they arrived, prosecutors say,he opened fire outsides on members ofa rival gang, and they accuse Lacour of driving the getaway car and helping him flee the scene.
So, prosecutors will clarify exactly what was allegedly captured on video, folks. This is a lot. I mean, is this really on tape—a mother serving as the getaway driver for her 20-year-old gang member son, shooting toward the courthouse? She was outside this courthouse for a good five minutes.
The city of Mount Vernon issued a statement saying: “With immediate effect, the city of Mount Vernon has terminated Jennifer Lacour’s employment. The allegations are unrelated to her duties and do not stem from any conduct associated with the department. ” Lacour was appointed deputy city health commissioner in2020during theGeorge Floyd protests, and her work advocating through free entry programs was praised. She also served two terms on Bronx Community Board9.
She devoted her 20-year career to the health and healing of those affected. again this afternoon, Jennifer Lacour pleaded not guilty to the charge. Her attorney didn’t speak after court, but said inside that the picture prosecutors painted is completely different from her life and career. Bail was set at $75,000,and she’s due back incourt September.
reporting live from Melrose area in the Bronx, Darla Miles, NewsChannel 7 Witness News.. Back to New York in a moment, folks, but let’s first head to Minnesota, where the federal government allegedly threatens to arrest another law enforcement official—the Hennepin County sheriff—for not cooperating with ICE deportation requests. Especially when she has people inher custody who are dangerous, violent, and in this country without permission, she won’t turn them over, and they’re saying:“We’ll come arrest you for that. ” So,a local sheriff here says she’s being threatened with arrest.
Indeed she is. According to a New York Times report, federal immigration officials recently began saying they would file criminal charges against the Hennepin County sheriff and the sheriff in Chicago. Joining us nowis Barrett O’Neill to discuss these allegations. Barrett, how does the sheriff respond?
Good morning, Heather, ah, Jim. This dispute centers entirely on when the Hennepin County Jail surrenders individuals to ICE. According to the New York Times, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt delivered letters from federal authorities threatening her with arrest if her agency didn’t fully cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The paper reports these communications began in July and warned Sheriff Witt she could face witness tampering charges.
Last February, during “Metro Surge,” Witt told WCCO that the Hennepin County Jail would cooperate with ICE if agents obtained a judicial warrant to arrest any individual. The Department of Homeland Security stated the letters sent this summer were intended to force sanctuary city politicians to surrender dangerous criminals for deportation. In a social media post, Witt revealed that federal officials threatened to arrest her personally. She says there’s no legal basis for the witness tampering claim and her office follows the law.
In a later online statement, Witt asserts these threats won’t drive her to abandon her legal responsibilities or ignore the Constitution. She says her focus remains on protecting Hennepin County residents and keeping communities safe, adding:“I will not be deterred from this mission in the face of intimidation. ” Now, DHS tells us some of the most dangerous foreign criminals inMinnesota have been released due to their sanctuary policies, citing six cases involving undocumented immigrants charged with or convicted of serious crimes, and adding:“Non-cooperative states have a choice: either stop harboring illegal alien criminals and releasing them into their communities, or work with ICE to make America safe again. ICE will not back down from enforcing federal law.
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Finally folks, back to New York, where sheriffs—yes, folks, I keep talking about sheriffs, but this time in New York— local sheriffs are telling Letitia James they won’t comply with New York’s ban on cooperating with ICE. So,in Minnesota, a sheriff is allegedly threatened with arrest for not cooperating with ICE, while in New York, sheriffs are essentially saying:“We’ll work with ICE even though you told us not to, folks. ” All kinds of craziness is happening out there. Madison County Sheriff, who is also the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, says that won’t stop his office from working with ICE.
Ashley Cefaro from NewsChannel 9 has his reasons. Madison County Sheriff is one of 12 sheriffs or police chiefs who received a warning from the state attorney general about a new law ending their current agreements with ICE. “I wish our governor and attorney general were on the same page when it comes to keeping people safe. ” The sheriff credits this controversial partnership with keeping seven undocumented immigrants off the streets.
Their charges include burglary, DWI, weapons offenses, and even rape—first-degree rape. I mean, imagine something like that happening to anyone in your family. You’d want law enforcement working together. There’s a divide where they’re not allowing that in New York State.
” Now, as the formal agreement with ICE ends, Sheriff Hood says the only thing really changing is just the paperwork. “I’ll still contact ICE if we get someone in here who’s illegal and commits a crime. They’ll come pick them up and we’ll hand them over, and they’ll go with them to handle whatever issue they have with ICE. ”
So folks, if there’s a common theme here today, I think it’s that law enforcement has gone off the rails.
Law enforcement has completely gone off track. You have the mother acting as a getaway driver for her gang member son. You have the Hennepin County sheriff allegedly threatened with arrest for not assisting ICE. Then you have New York sheriffs, who are supposedly not supposed to work with ICE, saying they’ll do it anyway.
So folks, I mean, is this just…is this the United States we live in, right? Tell me your thoughts on all this. I think the most shocking story is the first one, about the mother being the getaway driver. I know my mom would’ve kicked me out of the car.
She might’ve even called the cops on me if she saw me shooting at someone. My mom didn’t play around with that stuff, folks. These days, it seems parents are expected to cover for their kids no matter what they do. Oh, my mom would never accept that.
My mom would’ve done something like:“Beep beep beep. ””Yeah, hey, that’s my son—come get him. ” My mom expected a lot from me and never let anything slide. What about you guys?
How would you handle this situation if you were the parent? And also, how would your parents have handled it if you were that foolish 20-year-old shooting at someone? Let me know your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
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