A Miami-Dade man has been taken into custody for the fatal gunshot killing of his cousin, a dispute that took place following a family Thanksgiving dinner. Isaiah Jaheim Ballard, 20, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Craig Stroud, also aged 20, an incident which occurred on November 28, 2024, in the Kendall area, as reported by Local 10 News and NBC Miami.
According to the arrest affidavit, the altercation began as a verbal dispute outside of the grandmother's residence, where the family gathering took place; it escalated into a physical confrontation that resulted in Ballard shooting Stroud in the abdomen, Stroud was found by deputies lying on the ground outside the home, wounded from the firearm he was later pronounced dead after being transported to Jackson South Medical Center. Ballard, after the incident, fled the scene, supposedly disassembling the gun and discarding it in a nearby bushy area as he made his escape.
Ballard's mother reportedly reached out to authorities the day following the shooting, indicating her son's willingness to turn himself in, a sentiment echoed in a subsequent call Ballard himself made to detectives, which ultimately did not culminate in his voluntary surrender. It wasn't until January 13, on unrelated weapons charges, that Ballard was apprehended. He was then issued a murder warrant on April 11 and made a court appearance this past Wednesday, where he was denied bond and assigned a public defender.
