Wilmington man found guilty of 2021 attempted-murder
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man is heading to prison for up to 27.5 years after being convicted by a jury following a four-day trial.
Jabar Ballard, 27, was found guilty of Attempted Murder, Discharging a Weapon into an Occupied Building, Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon for crimes occurring at a busy strip mall on November 30, 2021.
The Honorable Frank Jones handed down the sentence Friday morning.
Ballard fired 11 shots at another man in the parking lot outside of the City Tobacco and Vape shop, located at 3111 Market Street.
After those shots failed to bring the victim down, Ballard chased him into an adjacent parking lot where a church congregation was beginning to arrive for their Sunday night service. Members of Vino Nuevo Ministry heard the gunfire and brought the victim inside of the building. Dozens of men, women and children were inside of the church at the time.
Ballard forced the door to the church open and fired another round at the victim before fleeing the scene in his vehicle. The victim, who was struck once in the chest, did not suffer any life-threatening injuries.
Witnesses testified that Ballard and the victim had been engaged in an argument inside and outside of a store in the same complex. Shortly thereafter is when Ballard opened fire. Jurors also saw footage from surveillance cameras that captured much of the incident.
