DA Charged After Firing Gunshot Into Home While Pursuing Fugitive

A district attorney in Tennessee was accused of recklessly shooting into a home while a mother and her three children were inside while he was chasing a fugitive, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Monday.

Christopher Robert Stanford, the 31st Judicial District attorney general, was indicted on one count of reckless endangerment, according to the announcement.

The charge stems from an incident last month in which Warren County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a deceased man inside a home in McMinnville, WTVF-TV in Nashville reported.

When deputies arrived at the property on Nov. 20, they found two more bodies nearby and identified the deceased as the homeowners, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. Deputies called the district attorney’s office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and agents with the Department of Homeland Security following the discovery.

Authorities were able to identify two suspects in the killings, Jessica Root and Caleb Brookins, according to the news release.

Stanford, as part of the investigation, was at the scene on Nov. 21 when law enforcement authorities attempted to apprehend Brookins on outstanding warrants, DeKalb County district attorney Bryan C. Dunway said in a news release last month. Brookins, however, tried to escape in a vehicle with a woman, Hannah Rose, driving him, Dunway said.

Stanford attempted to pursue the vehicle and fired shots in its direction, Dunway said.

According to an indictment cited by The Tennessean, Stanford allegedly “unlawfully, intentionally and recklessly” fired a handgun at the time of the pursuit, and a bullet went through the wall of a home where a woman and her three kids were inside. No one was injured in the shooting.

At the time, Stanford reportedly told officials he fired his gun in self-defense, but a video obtained by WTVF showed the district attorney shooting at least three shots toward the suspects’ car after it began speeding away. Prosecutors said the video is evidence that Stanford faced no imminent threat nor was he aiming when he fired his gun, WTVF reported.

Root, Rose and Brookins were taken into custody on suspicion of criminal homicide. Since the shooting, Stanford is now considered a witness in the homicide case and is not allowed to prosecute it, according to WTVF.

According to WTVF, Stanford is expected to appear in DeKalb County General Sessions Court on Jan. 7. He was released on $10,000 bond. It’s unclear if he has an attorney representing him.

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