NC soldier shot mother of his unborn child as she drove on Georgia road, cops say
A soldier stationed in North Carolina was arrested after a pregnant woman was found unresponsive in a bullet-riddled car, Georgia officials said.
Akeila Ware, 29, was rushed to a hospital, where officials on Tuesday pronounced she and her unborn baby dead, according to the Troup County Sheriff’s Office.
Now, the father of the unborn child — Alonzo Dargan Jr. — is facing charges in the case. Deputies on Friday didn’t share attorney information for Dargan.
He was captured in North Carolina, where he was stationed at Fort Bragg, according to a news conference streamed by the LaGrange Daily News and other outlets.
First responders were called just before 1 p.m. Tuesday to the scene of a single-car crash in Troup County, where they found the pregnant driver and “noticed what appeared to be multiple bullet holes in the side of the car,” officials said. The scene was on state Highway 18 near East Drummond Road, roughly 75 miles southwest of Atlanta.
“Once the victim was extricated from the vehicle she was transported to a Columbus area hospital in critical condition,” deputies said.
Ware reportedly was about 33 weeks pregnant when she died.
Dargan is charged with murder, feticide and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, officials said.
The sheriff’s office in an initial news release didn’t say whether Ware — who lived in LaGrange — was shot or if she died due to crash-related injuries. Officials later said she was shot while driving while Dargan was in another car.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety is investigating the crash and said preliminary findings showed someone from another car shot at her, which caused the wreck.
“It appears a second vehicle was involved in the crime and the shooting possibly occurred near the intersection of Highway 18 and Whitesville Road,” officials said earlier this week.
During the search for a suspect, family members of the mother of five pleaded for answers in the case, WAGA reported.
“Akeila, she was a very smart, bright young lady. Anybody with information, please come forward,” her cousin, Santoria Johnson, told the TV station. “Do it for her family, her kids especially.”
The Troup County Sheriff’s Office didn’t respond to McClatchy News’ requests for additional information on Wednesday afternoon. Requests for comment from Fort Bragg representatives went unanswered on Friday morning.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 3:41 PM with the headline "NC soldier shot mother of his unborn child as she drove on Georgia road, cops say."
