On Friday, September 18, 2026, the life of 41-year-old Eric Jerome Ward was tragically cut short in Old Fort, North Carolina. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 22, 1985, Ward was known by his loved ones as a generous and loving man with a giving heart. He was a father and a new grandfather, and his family, particularly his daughter Syeisha and grandson Elijah, were the center of his world.
A devoted fan of the Dallas Cowboys, he also enjoyed hands-on activities like building and fixing things, and he loved to cook and barbecue for those he cared about. His sudden death left his family and community to mourn a man they remember for his giving spirit and deep love for his relatives.
The circumstances of Ward's death unfolded on a Friday afternoon at a residence on Lackey Town Road. The McDowell County Sheriff's Office received a call around 4 p.m. from a relative of 49-year-old Jessica Martin Blackburn, reporting that someone had been shot inside the home. When deputies arrived, they found Ward suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly thereafter. The shooting was described by authorities as being related to a domestic incident.
Following the incident, Jessica Martin Blackburn, identified as Ward's girlfriend, was arrested and charged with felony murder. She was booked into the county detention center and is being held without bond. The investigation into the shooting that claimed Eric Jerome Ward's life remains ongoing, with authorities yet to release a complete sequence of the events that transpired inside the home. While an arrest has been made and charges have been filed, the case is still in its early stages, leaving a family grieving and a community waiting for justice as the legal process begins to unfold.
