Mississippi escapee arrested in shooting of Metro officer

UPDATE: Metro police say two suspects — one an escapee from Mississippi — taken into custody in the shooting of veteran officer Mark Chesnut have lengthy criminal records.

The two were arrested at Hermitage and Fairfield avenues less than an hour after the incident.

Joseph Leon Jackson, 29, who allegedly escaped from a private prison facility in Greenwood, Miss., was serving a life term for armed robbery and aggravated assault. He has apparently admitted to shooting Sgt. Chesnut, according to police.

Jackson's bail is set at $3.36 million.

Officials say his accomplice, Courtney Logan, stormed an eye doctor's office Thursday morning and broke Jackson out of custody. Logan is being held on $3.1 million bail.

Both men are from Louisville, Ky.

The pair took off in a black Dodge Magnum — the same kind of vehicle they were driving when officer Chesnut was shot about 1:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon.

"Courtney Logan essentially busted into the office fired several shots in the roof, ceiling fan tile area, made everyone get on the ground and freed Joseph Jackson from custody," said Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas.

Chesnut, 44, was driving an unmarked car as part of an interstate highway traffic enforcement effort, Metro Police spokesperson Don Aaron said, adding it is unclear why he stopped the vehicle.

"These were some dangerous, dangerous, dangerous people who cowardly attacked Sgt. Chesnut while he sat in his car running their license plate," Serpas said.

Chesnut, a 22-year veteran of the Metro Police Department, was wearing body armor. John Morris, director of Vanderbilt Medical Center's Trauma Division, said Chesnut was shot in the stomach, colon, gall bladder and liver.

"This is a life-threatening injury," said Morris. "He's on the ventilator, he's on life support, but we're all very hopeful that ultimately he will return home to his family and ultimately return to work."

Police on Saturday said the officer's condition had not changed, and it was not likely to change through the weekend.

At the time of the shooting, Chesnut's wife and family had been on vacation in Alabama and were airlifted to Nashville by a THP helicopter.

Police say Jackson will be charged with attempted murder, stealing a Mississippi correction officer's gun, unlawful gun possession by a convicted felon.

Logan will be charged with attempted murder and unlawful gun possession by a convicted felon. He had been convicted in Kentucky of robbery, theft and evading police.