NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) — Clarksville police say seven bounty hunters and bail bondsmen have been indicted on first-degree murder and other charges in the killing of an unarmed man and the wounding of another.
Authorities say 24-year-old Jalen Johnson and another man were wounded April 23 after the bounty hunters and bail bondsmen confronted Johnson and his three friends in the parking lot of the Walmart Neighborhood Market on Whitfield Rd. Authorities have said the bounty hunters and bail bondsmen chased the men for seven miles, putting the public at risk.
Johnson’s family has said he was gunned down in a case of mistaken identity.
Police said that neither Johnson nor his three friends had outstanding warrants. Police said there is no indication that the men in the Nissan had a firearm or shot any of the bondsmen.
The man the bondsmen were looking for, William Ellis, was not one of the men in the vehicle.
The suspects were each arrested on a total of 16 charges (some charges have multiple counts) per suspect:
FIRST DEGREE FELONY MURDER
ATTEMPTED SECOND DEGREE MURDER X 3
ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED KIDNAPPING X 3
ATTEMPTED ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED KIDNAPPING
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT X 3
EMPLOYING FIREARM IN COMMISSION OF DANGEROUS FELONY
FELONY RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
Bonds were set at $300,000 per person.
The suspects were indicted by the Montgomery County Grand Jury. It is unclear when they will appear in court.
