Team of bounty hunters charged with murder after shooting at wrong car

Seven bounty hunters shot at four people and chased their car for seven miles

There is no indication any of the victims fired at the defendants or were even armed, police say (Tony Webster/Flickr)

A team of bounty hunters who descended on the wrong car have been indicted on first-degree murder charges in the killing of an unarmed man and the wounding of another.

Police said seven bounty hunters shot at four people in a sedan outside a Wal-Mart in Clarksville, Tennessee, and chased them for seven miles.

None of the men in the sedan were 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.

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 (Clarksville Police Department)

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-defence.

The family of 24-year-old Jalen Johnson, who was killed in the attack, called the father of three an innocent man who died in an act of terrorising violence.

Mr Johnson's uncle, Toni Jenkins, told The Associated Press 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 car park.

Fearing an attack by gang members, they tried to flee.

The bounty hunters, Mr Jenkins said, started shooting in the car park 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.

The Montgomery County grand jury charged all seven men 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, Mr Knoll said.