A Tennessee district attorney finds himself on the opposite side of the law after a November incident that occurred during the arrest of triple homicide suspects in Smithville. Chris Stanford, the Warren County District Attorney, was indicted on charges of reckless endangerment for discharging his firearm near occupied residences. According to WSMV, Stanford turned himself in and posted a $10,000 bond, with a court appearance set for January 7.
The situation unfolded as authorities were apprehending 28-year-old Caleb Dias Brookins, and Jessica Root, who were wanted in connection with a triple homicide, as well as 21-year-old Hannah McKenzi Rose, charged with aggravated assault on a first responder and evading arrest. Amidst the arrest, a Homeland Security agent was injured by a vehicle, driven by Rose with Brookins as her passenger, that attempted to flee and rammed a deputy's truck, as NewsChannel 5 reports. In the ensuing tension, Stanford allegedly fired his weapon at the vehicle, however, no one was struck by the gunfire.
Further details from the indictment reveal that Stanford's actions caused a bullet to become lodged into the wall of an apartment where a mother and her three children resided, as noted by WKRN. The shot passed through a patio chair before coming to rest inside the living space, thereby placing the family in potential harm's way. The indictment emphasizes that there was no immediate threat to Stanford or others at the time he discharged his weapon.
Despite Stanford's claim of being POST-certified and trained in firearm use, the Tennessee Department of Insurance and Commerce confirmed that there were no records supporting this. Since Stanford discharged his weapon at the active scene, he is now a witness and, as such, is precluded from prosecuting the triple homicide case within his own jurisdiction. This twist in events shows a law enforcement official caught between the responsibility of upholding the law and the split-second decisions that can place that same individual in the dock of the accused.
