Mother-to-be Akeila Ware, 29, was found shot to death on the side of the road in Georgia on Oct. 5 Tuesday. Her father describes her as a loving mother and daughter.
“Akeila was a loving daughter, mother and co-worker,” said William to PEOPLE.
According to William, Akeila had a positive outlook on life, and she worked hard in school to earn her RN degree. She also valued her relationships with her family.
Akeila Ware. (Photo: PEOPLE/ FACEBOOK)
Fatally Shot Pregnant Woman
During a press conference on Friday, Troup County Sheriff James Woodruff said that deputies investigating a car crash on Tuesday found 29-year-old Akeila Ware suffering from gunshot wounds in her bullet-riddled vehicle off the side of Highway 18.
According to reports, investigators believe the woman, who was 33 weeks pregnant, had been followed by the assailant before being shot at, run over, and left for dead. She was taken to the hospital, where she died as a result of her injuries. Her unborn child died as well.
According to Woodruff’s report, when he arrived at the scene, he couldn’t believe that someone had shot and killed a young mother of five children, on top of which she had a baby inside of her, resulting in the death of that baby. Woodruff personally went to Akeila’s father’s house to inform him that his daughter had died.
During Friday’s press conference, Woodruff revealed that Alonzo Dargan Jr., Ware’s boyfriend, is suspected of being her killer. He was arrested the previous day at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, by the US Army Criminal Investigation Division.
According to authorities, Dargan, an active-duty soldier, grew up in Troup County and knew Ware from school. He was the father of her unborn baby.
Additionally, authorities revealed that Dargan is married and has additional children.
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Akeila Ware and her Father William Ware. (Photo: PEOPLE)
‘She was happy about the baby’
Akeila leaves behind five children, ranging in age from five to twelve years old, and she was looking forward to seeing her family grow. Given that the baby was expected to be male and she was expecting three boys, she would have had a total of three boys and three girls.
William had said that Akeila was happy about the baby, and she was looking forward to buying a new home for her family.
In Alabama, Akeila attended Southern Union College and worked as a home health care nurse. Akeila, according to Williams, enjoyed her patients. While Dargan awaits extradition to Georgia, Akeila’s family grieves her loss and looks after her children, who are staying with their grandparents.
“The kids are okay because they are often at our house anyways,” William says. When asked how the rest of the family is doing, he responded, “okay.”
Dargan, 30, faces charges of murder, feticide, and unlawful possession of a firearm while committing a crime.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office is holding him pending extradition to Troup County. It is unknown whether he has retained an attorney to make statements on his behalf.
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