Inset: Michael Ward (Allen County Sheriff's Office). Background: The area of Stophlet Street and College Street in Fort Wayne, Ind., where Michael Ward opened fire on his pregnant girlfriend (Google Maps).
An Indiana man has admitted to shooting at an Uber that his pregnant girlfriend was in with an AR-style rifle after she tried to get away from him following an argument.
"I'm going to get my gun and cash out," Michael Ward told his girlfriend before the April 17 shooting, which occurred just before 8:55 a.m., according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Journal Gazette.
Police accused him of issuing the statement as a death threat. The comment led to attempted murder and gun charges after he opened fire on the Uber his girlfriend had called following their fight.
Ward, however, accepted a plea deal on Friday that saw his charges downgraded to criminal recklessness. If the judge overseeing his case accepts the agreement, he will face up to six years behind bars, the Gazette reports.
"The defendant shot approximately three rounds toward the vehicle," the probable cause affidavit said about Ward's attack on his girlfriend. "The gunshots broke out the rear window and flattened the rear passenger-side tire. Three shell casings were recovered from the area at the time of the shooting."
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Ward was accused of pointing his AR-style rifle at both his girlfriend and the Uber driver, who was in a Jeep Wrangler, before opening fire. Ward was sitting in a Buick LeSabre when the Uber pulled up and got out to retrieve his weapon before he started blasting, according to police.
The alleged death threat that Ward hurled at his pregnant partner came several hours before the shooting while they were arguing over an undisclosed matter. "Fine, then," he told the woman before threatening her, according to the affidavit.
Ward's girlfriend said she had been in a relationship with him for one year and he was aware that she was carrying a child. She was described in the affidavit as being fearful and afraid of Ward, who has a previous battery conviction stemming from an incident two years ago with another individual, the Gazette reports.
Ward has been ordered to stay away from his girlfriend as part of his plea deal. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 4.
