TROUP COUNTY, Ga. — The Troup County Sheriff's Office said Friday that 29-year-old Akelia Ware was killed by the father of her unborn child, who was arrested the day prior in North Carolina.
Sheriff James Woodruff said the man was an active-duty soldier who had been stationed at Fort Bragg and was arrested there.
Ware, who the sheriff's office said was 33 weeks pregnant, was discovered killed on Hwy. 18 in Troup County on Oct. 5 when deputies responded to a crash and found her car riddled with bullet holes.
Authorities said they believed the man had been following Ware before shooting at her car and running her off the road.
Deputies said Ware was taken to the hospital where she died. It was discovered that the victim was pregnant and her unborn child had also died.
The man now under arrest at the Cumberland County, N.C. jail faces charges including murder, feticide and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
"i went to the scene and could not believe that somebody had shot and killed a young mother of five children, on top of that she had a baby inside of her and resulted in death of that baby," Sheriff Woodruff said. "I personally went to the home of her father and had to deliver this news that your daughter is dead. That's terrible news to have to hear form anybody, especially when it's your children and grandchild."
The military confirmed the suspect joined the Army in 2009 as a signal support systems specialist, and had been at Fort Bragg since April of this year. He deployed to Afghanistan for a year in 2011-12 and earned the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal and Air Assault Badge.
The sheriff's office said they believed the man accused in the killing and Ware had been in a relationship. They were said to have grown up together in Troup County and attended school together.
The man is expected to be extradited back to Troup County. The sheriff's office said they located him by matching his vehicle, a silver 2000 Nissan Altima, to the car at the scene of the shooting and found other evidence to place him in Troup County at the time of the shooting.
He was taken into custody by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division at Fort Bragg.
A GoFundMe was also set up to help raise money for Ware's five kids who are now without their mother.