US Army sergeant arrested for fatal shooting of woman pregnant with his child
Alonzo Dargan Jr. is being charged with murder, feticide, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime
Alonzo Dargan Jr., a sergeant with the U.S. Army, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly shooting a pregnant woman. Dargan is the biological father of the child the woman was carrying, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Georgia State Patrol troopers responded to a Tuesday call just before 1 p.m. about a single-car crash in Troup County on Highway 18 near East Drummond Road. After arriving on the scene, they discovered a Honda Accord riddled with bullets. Akeila Ware, a 33 week pregnant resident of La Grange, was inside unresponsive with a gunshot wound.
Ware was removed from the vehicle and rushed to a nearby Columbus-area hospital in critical condition. Both she and her unborn child were pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after. She was 29.
As authorities investigated the shooting, it was determined that a second car, a silver Nissan, was involved in the incident. Dargan, 30, was driving a 2020 silver Nissan Altima in Troup County at the time of the incident. Dargan was on active duty at Fort Bragg as a staff sergeant.
Troup County Captain Kelli Ellington confirmed that Dargan was the father of Ware’s unborn son. Ware was married with five older children, none of which belong to Dargan. Dargan is also married and has children of his own.
Troup County Sheriff James Woodruff stated in a Friday press conference that Dargan was arrested on Thursday and is being charged with murder, feticide, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. “I could not believe somebody had shot and killed a young mother with five children,” Woodruff said. “And on top of that, killed her and she had a baby inside her that resulted in the death of that baby.”
Ware’s death is being mourned by her family, including cousin April Stinson. “The horribleness of seeing this car that was wrecked and no one had a clue who it was,” Stinson told ABC 9 WTVM. “And even family members were sharing it and to get the call about three hours later that – it being her – it was pretty devastating.”
Purple balloons have been placed at the site where Ware and her car were found in Troup County in honor of her memory. Ware’s mother said that she began working as a nurse two years ago.
He first joined the Army in 2009, according to Army spokesman Peter Nguyen. He served in Operation Enduring Freedom from 2011 to 2012, and has received numerous honors, including the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Air Assault Badge.
Dargan is in custody at Cumberland County Jail in North Carolina, as reported by WRBL. He is currently waiting to be extradited back to Troup County.
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