thedrifter
12-28-08, 06:51 AM
COLD CASE: 1999 slaying of National Guardsman remains unsolved
Comments 0 | Recommend 3
December 27, 2008 - 6:23 PM
LINDELL KAY
When Rashad Ford's father retired from Camp Lejeune and the family moved out-of-state in 1999, the 20-year-old stayed behind in Jacksonville, anxious to prove he could make it on his own.
A member of the National Guard, Ford's plans to join the U.S. Army were cut short October 16, 1999, by a large-caliber bullet.
"He wanted to be his own man," Ford's mother Bobbie Jean Ford, who now lives in Georgia, told The Daily News in a phone interview Friday.
She said Ford stayed behind because of commitments to the National Guard, friends he had made while his father was stationed at Camp Lejeune and a desire to prove he was an adult who could make it on his own.
"He was loving to a fault," Ford's mother said of her son. "He never met a stranger. He was a friend to everyone."
That friendly, trusting disposition may have cost Ford his life, said his sister, Toshira Dolman, who now lives in South Carolina.
The night he died, Ford had been bowling with friends and invited them back to his apartment on Robinson Drive. When they arrived a friend pointed out two suspicious men standing on the street corner, but Ford said to just ignore them, his sister said.
Around a dozen people were in Ford's New River Apartment when the two men that were standing on the corner barged in, brandished handguns and begun shuffling everyone from room to room.
"The two men pistol-whipped one of the occupants and forced the others into a front bed-room," then JPD detective John Fifield said at the time. "While one man held the people at gunpoint, the other man ransacked the rear bedroom."
Ford was then shot in the back.
It remains unclear nine years later whether the masked gunmen took anything.
"Drug-related activity" is listed on Ford's death certificate as a significant condition contributing to his death.
Drugs were commonly sold in the area, but Ford had no criminal history, said Capt. Gary Dixon with the Jacksonville Police Department.
"I guess it was about drugs," Ford's sister said. "He wasn't perfect, but he was a good friend and liked to pick up strays," she said meaning Ford would take in unsavory people and help them.
Ford was legally drunk the night he died, but no other controlled substances were found in his system during an autopsy, according to toxicology reports.
After shooting Ford in the back, the two gunmen left the apartment and popped off a round before leaving the scene.
JPD patrol officer Phillip Williams was at the Piggly Wiggly in the New River Shopping Center investigating a suspicious vehicle when he heard the outdoor shot.
Williams said he drove his patrol car to Robinson Drive and several people rushed out of Ford's apartment toward him seeking safety.
The two gunmen were gone.
Ford was rushed to Onslow Memorial Hospital and died a short time later.
"My heart has never been that broken than when they told me," Ford's sister said about learning her brother had been killed.
Perhaps as a testament to Ford's friendly nature, tips inundated the JPD.
Dixon said the case generated more leads than any homicide he could remember in his 30-year career.
"Several known drug dealers provided information after the fact," Dixon said, adding that the leads always dead-ended.
Crime Stoppers of Jacksonville is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest in Ford's death. Anyone with information can call the Jacksonville Police Department at 910-455-4000 or Jacksonville Crime Stoppers at 910-938-3273. Callers do not have to reveal their identities.
Contact crime reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8456. Read Lindell's blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.
Ellie
Comments 0 | Recommend 3
December 27, 2008 - 6:23 PM
LINDELL KAY
When Rashad Ford's father retired from Camp Lejeune and the family moved out-of-state in 1999, the 20-year-old stayed behind in Jacksonville, anxious to prove he could make it on his own.
A member of the National Guard, Ford's plans to join the U.S. Army were cut short October 16, 1999, by a large-caliber bullet.
"He wanted to be his own man," Ford's mother Bobbie Jean Ford, who now lives in Georgia, told The Daily News in a phone interview Friday.
She said Ford stayed behind because of commitments to the National Guard, friends he had made while his father was stationed at Camp Lejeune and a desire to prove he was an adult who could make it on his own.
"He was loving to a fault," Ford's mother said of her son. "He never met a stranger. He was a friend to everyone."
That friendly, trusting disposition may have cost Ford his life, said his sister, Toshira Dolman, who now lives in South Carolina.
The night he died, Ford had been bowling with friends and invited them back to his apartment on Robinson Drive. When they arrived a friend pointed out two suspicious men standing on the street corner, but Ford said to just ignore them, his sister said.
Around a dozen people were in Ford's New River Apartment when the two men that were standing on the corner barged in, brandished handguns and begun shuffling everyone from room to room.
"The two men pistol-whipped one of the occupants and forced the others into a front bed-room," then JPD detective John Fifield said at the time. "While one man held the people at gunpoint, the other man ransacked the rear bedroom."
Ford was then shot in the back.
It remains unclear nine years later whether the masked gunmen took anything.
"Drug-related activity" is listed on Ford's death certificate as a significant condition contributing to his death.
Drugs were commonly sold in the area, but Ford had no criminal history, said Capt. Gary Dixon with the Jacksonville Police Department.
"I guess it was about drugs," Ford's sister said. "He wasn't perfect, but he was a good friend and liked to pick up strays," she said meaning Ford would take in unsavory people and help them.
Ford was legally drunk the night he died, but no other controlled substances were found in his system during an autopsy, according to toxicology reports.
After shooting Ford in the back, the two gunmen left the apartment and popped off a round before leaving the scene.
JPD patrol officer Phillip Williams was at the Piggly Wiggly in the New River Shopping Center investigating a suspicious vehicle when he heard the outdoor shot.
Williams said he drove his patrol car to Robinson Drive and several people rushed out of Ford's apartment toward him seeking safety.
The two gunmen were gone.
Ford was rushed to Onslow Memorial Hospital and died a short time later.
"My heart has never been that broken than when they told me," Ford's sister said about learning her brother had been killed.
Perhaps as a testament to Ford's friendly nature, tips inundated the JPD.
Dixon said the case generated more leads than any homicide he could remember in his 30-year career.
"Several known drug dealers provided information after the fact," Dixon said, adding that the leads always dead-ended.
Crime Stoppers of Jacksonville is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest in Ford's death. Anyone with information can call the Jacksonville Police Department at 910-455-4000 or Jacksonville Crime Stoppers at 910-938-3273. Callers do not have to reveal their identities.
Contact crime reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8456. Read Lindell's blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.
Ellie