MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A 20-year-old man from Miami-Dade’s West End is facing a second-degree murder charge after investigators say he fatally shot his cousin during a fight on Thanksgiving outside a family gathering.
Recommended Videos
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Local 10 News Wednesday, deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting around 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2024, at a home in the Kendall area.
When they arrived, deputies said they found the victim lying on the ground outside the home with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported the victim, who deputies identified as 20-year-old Craig Stroud Jr., to Jackson South Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities said Stroud had arrived at his grandmother’s house to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner along with another cousin.
Several other relatives, including Isaiah Jaheim Ballard and his brother, were already there, the affidavit stated.
Shortly after arriving, deputies said Stroud became involved in a verbal argument with Ballard outside the home.
Witnesses told investigators that other family members tried to de-escalate the situation, but the argument turned physical.
That’s when Ballard allegedly shoved another relative, prompting a fight between them.
Investigators said Stroud tried to intervene, which led to a separate fight between Ballard and the victim, during which the two began exchanging punches.
During the fight, they said Ballard reportedly pulled out a gun.
Witnesses said the two cousins began struggling over the weapon before Ballard fired a single shot, striking Stroud in the abdomen, the affidavit stated.
Ballard did not attempt to help Stroud after shooting him, investigators said.
Instead, they said he fled the scene on foot with another relative.
Witnesses told deputies that Ballard dismantled the gun and tossed it into a bushy area as he ran westbound toward Southwest 136th Terrace.
The following day, Ballard’s mother contacted investigators and said her son intended to turn himself in and make a statement.
Ballard also called detectives later that afternoon to say he would come in, but he never showed up.
Weeks later, on Jan. 13, detectives said Ballard was arrested on unrelated weapons charges.
While in custody, he was taken to MDPD’s Homicide Bureau, where investigators attempted to question him. Ballard declined to speak after being read his Miranda rights.
Detectives say they had probable cause to charge Ballard with one count of second-degree murder.
Jail records show his is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Wednesday afternoon.
