Ryan Chandler, a 35-year-old male pastor, was fatally shot on May 5, 2022, in Forrest City, Arkansas, just one day after his birthday. The incident occurred shortly before noon at Jordan's Kwik Stop on North Washington Street. Law enforcement officers responded to a report of a man bleeding from a head wound inside a parked car. Upon arrival, they discovered Chandler in the driver's seat of his vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation led to the swift apprehension of a
suspect, identified as 24-year-old Rodney Ward of Mabelvale, Arkansas. Police reports suggest that Ward was sitting in the front passenger seat of Chandler's car when he fired the fatal shot. Ward was taken into custody a short time after the incident and was found in possession of a 9mm handgun. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and resisting arrest and was booked into the St. Francis County Jail.
In a surprising turn of events, on September 13, 2022, a judge ordered Rodney Ward's release from jail without the need to post bond, under the condition that he check in at the jail on a weekly basis. During the investigation, Ward claimed that he had been walking from Memphis, Tennessee, to Little Rock, Arkansas, when Chandler offered him a ride. Ward alleged that during the car ride, Chandler made unwanted sexual advances towards him, which he claims prompted him to shoot Chandler in self-defense. This account has been disputed by friends and members of Chandler's church. The tragic death of the North Carolina pastor left his family and community in mourning as they awaited the resolution of the legal proceedings.
