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United States News Title: SEVEN bounty hunters charged with murder after they opened fire on the WRONG car killing one innocent man and injuring another three Seven bounty hunters who descended on the wrong car outside a Wal-Mart have been indicted on first-degree murder charges in the killing of an unarmed man and the wounding of another, Tennessee police announced Wednesday. William L. Byles, 31; Kenneth Chiasson, 38; Antwon D. Keesee, 32; Jonathan Schnepp, 31; Roger D. West, 31; Prentice L. Williams, 34; and Joshua Young, 27 are the bounty hunters who are facing a long list of charges, including first-degree felony murder and three counts of attempted second-degree murder related to the April 23 incident in Clarksville. The charges come after a chaotic scene where police said the bounty hunters shot at four innocent people in a Nissan and chased them for seven miles after spotting them at the Walmart Neighborhood Market on Whitfield Boulevard. Killed in the shocking incident was 24-year-old Jalen Johnson, a father of three from Clarksville. This combo of booking photos shows,the sevon bounty hunters charged with murder: top row from left - William L. Byles, Kenneth Chiasson, Antwon D. Keesee and Jonathan Schnepp; bottom row from left - Roger D. West, Prentice L. Williams and Joshua Young Jalen Johnson (above), 24, was shot and killed on April 23 when the seven bounty hunters gave chase and opened fire on a Nissan he was in with three other men. Johnson had no warrants for his arrest and was unarmed His family called him an innocent man who died in an act of terrorizing violence. Johnson's uncle, Toni Jenkins, told The Associated Press that his nephew and the three men in the car with him had no idea why people would suddenly block their car in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Fearing an attack by gang members, they tried to flee. The bounty hunters, Jenkins said, started shooting in the parking lot and continued to fire on them during the chase, even ramming the Nissan along the way. Clarksville police would not confirm or deny these details, but authorities have said they are troubled by how the bounty hunters put people at risk. Not one of the men in the Nissan was wanted on outstanding charges. In fact, the Clarksville bounty hunters were looking for someone else, and there is no indication that any of the victims fired at the defendants or were even armed, police spokesman Jim Knoll said in an email. Bail bondsmen are empowered to hire or act as bounty hunters to bring in people who violate the terms of jail bonds, but they can't use deadly force unless it's self-defense. The seven men were all charged with first-degree felony murder, three counts of attempted second-degree murder, three counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, attempted especially aggravated kidnapping, four counts of aggravated assault, employing a firearm in commission of a dangerous felony and felony reckless endangerment, police said. Some of the men charged were bonding agents and others were strictly bounty hunters, Knoll said. Clarksville Police have not named the other men in the car. The investigation is still ongoing, and anyone with information or who was in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is asked to call Detective Tim Anderson at 931-648-0656, ext. 5132. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top Page Up Full Thread Page Down Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
#1. To: cranky (#0)
(Edited)
While such outrageous incidents are fairly rare, bounty hunter/bondsmen have been completely out of control for many decades. I hope they nail these morons to the wall. Any of them who fired a gun should get life, the rest should get long sentences as accomplices. And none should go free if they played any part in the shooting or in the car chase.
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