Family Of Slain Man Sues Tennessee Bounty Hunters And Their Employers

The family of a Clarksville man gunned down by bounty hunters is suing his shooters as well as the companies who employed them.

Attorneys for the family of 24-year-old Jalen Johnson,
who has three children, say the suit is about more than one man. They hope it has a positive impact on what they believe is a broken system.

“This culture of hunting people for money has to be controlled and curtailed in a way that would not expose innocent people to this reckless disregard for human life,” attorney Mawuli Mel Davis said at a press conference Tuesday.

Davis claims the men approached their jobs as if it were a sport, like deer hunting.

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See the lawsuit filed by the family of Johnson, who is named as Jalen Milan in the court filing

Bail bondsmen are empowered to bring in people who violate the terms of jail bonds, but they can only use deadly force in cases of self-defense.
Seven men are already charged with homicide in Johnson’s death and named in the lawsuit. The suit also names Keesee Bonding and Eagle Bonding.

Clarksville police say the men fired multiple shots at a car with Johnson inside. He was unarmed and had no outstanding warrants.

The
Leaf Chronicle reports that
none of the men had completed a required background check with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. A spokesperson for the county says that they have never had a bounty hunter come to their office to complete the requirement.

An official with the county clerk says no hunters have filed state required paperwork with their office either. The paper says no local or state agency is bound to oversee compliance.

A state law was proposed a few years ago to hand that duty to local sheriff’s offices but it failed to pass.

Clarksville authorities say they are now working with the DA’s office to bring bail bondsmen and bounty hunters into “compliance with state laws.”