from www.myfox8.com:
THOMASVILLE, N.C. — A suspect is in custody after a shooting left one man injured in Thomasville on Wednesday morning, according to a news release from Thomasville police.
Edward John Abrams-Ward, 32, of High Point, is charged with attempted murder and felonious shooting into an occupied vehicle.
At 11:18 a.m., officers were called to the 200 block of West Guilford Street on a report of a person with a gunshot wound.
The victim, a 42-year-old Thomasville man, was located and taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Thomasville police said the victim was driving on Arlington Avenue and had come to a stop at Winston Street around 11:15 a.m.
A white Honda Accord with two people inside was traveling south on Winston Street and came to a stop in front of the victim.
The passenger of the Honda got out and started shooting into the victim’s vehicle.
The victim was able to speed away and seek help.
High Point police located the suspect vehicle at 12:11 p.m. Abrams-Ward ran and after a short foot chase, he was taken into custody in the 600 block of Granby Street in High Point.
Thomasville police said additional charges in the case are expected.
Now here is the rest of the story:
from Mason Linker and the WS Journal:
(2008)
E.J. Abrams-Ward was too busy excelling in athletics and being a student at Thomasville to ever take notice of the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s Pat Best Memorial Trophy.
That changed when Abrams-Ward was named the 2008 boys winner at the NCHSAA’s annual meeting in Chapel Hill. Jannetta Robinson of Pender County, also a three-sport standout, won the girls award.
Sportswriters around the state nominate athletes and vote for winners of the Best Award, which recognizes the state’s top male and female athletes. The awards were first presented in 1986 and were later named for Best, a Goldsboro High principal and NCHSAA president and board member who died in 1988.
Abrams-Ward (6-5, 220) plays football, basketball and baseball. He has signed to play football at Tennessee and said he intends to play a second sport.
“I was surprised, very surprised,” he said. “All the athletes we have in this state, great guys all around. Just being nominated and selected for it is a great honor. Coach (Woody) Huneycutt told me a couple of days back, and it really did surprise me. It takes a lot to get nominated for this, so it says a lot.”
Abrams-Ward is playing on Thomasville’s baseball team this spring and has been scouted as an outfielder and pitcher.
In football, he was a linebacker on 1-AA state championships teams as a freshman and sophomore. He was moved to quarterback late in his junior season of 2006 and led Thomasville to another state title. He played quarterback as a senior, when he rushed for 1,288 yards and nine touchdowns and passed for more than 2,000 yards and 24 touchdowns. He was an AP all-state selection and Shrine Bowl linebacker.
Abrams-Ward also played on two state-championship basketball teams. As a senior, he averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and two steals while leading his team to the Western Regional.
He was selected to the Journal’s All-Northwest teams in football and basketball.
Huneycutt, Thomasville’s basketball coach and athletics director, said that Abrams-Ward is one of the elite athletes to come through the school.
“This is the first time we have ever had anybody to get an award like this,” Huneycutt said. “To be noticed by his peers and newspeople around the state from a little old 1-A school is pretty impressive. We are really proud of E.J. He has been a great athlete since his freshman year and has done well in everything he has done. We are real proud and hopeful for his future.
“There are an awful lot of good athletes in the state. This is quite an honor. He has gotten a lot of other honors, but this is one of the top things that can happen to you.”
Abrams-Ward said he will play receiver at Tennessee and that he has already started working out for the position. He said that a factor in whether he plays basketball or baseball could be feedback he receives from pro baseball scouts.
“We haven’t talked much about (being drafted),” Abrams-Ward said. “I’m just trying to focus on what’s ahead…. Right now we are talking a little about it, but nothing definite or serious right now.”
from Mike Duprez, with the Lexington Dispatch:
(January 22, 2009)
Former Thomasville standout E.J. Abrams-Ward has been kicked off the University of Tennessee football team, the school announced Thursday afternoon.
“That is correct,” said Bud Ford, assistant athletic director of media at Tennessee.
The 6-5, 215-pound Abrams-Ward chose the Volunteers after an intense recruiting battle involving numerous top Division I schools, including North Carolina.
But after a redshirt freshman season, Abrams-Ward’s career as a Volunteer is over. Ford said he could not confirm if Abrams-Ward was still in school. Few other details were available.
“The University of Tennessee announced Thursday that sophomore offensive tackle Ramone Johnson and wide receiver E.J. Abrams-Ward have been dismissed from the team for disciplinary reasons,” the university said in a brief statement.
Abrams-Ward could not be immediately reached for comment.
“He was a good kid for us,” said Thomasville coach Allen Brown. “He did a lot of things for us and has a lot of ability. I don’t really know any details about this, so I’m not in a position to comment.“
The Tennessee program has been in a state of flux with the firing of long-time coach Phil Fulmer and the hiring of former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin to replace him.
“I know he had struggled with the group of coaches that got fired,” said Thomasville assistant coach Sam Captain. “He was trying to adjust to their system. He had a meeting with Lane Kiffin on Friday and was told to clear out his locker.“
Abrams-Ward is one of the most celebrated athletes to come out of the tradition-rich Thomasville program. He helped lead the Bulldogs to three consecutive 1-AA state championships on the gridiron. Abrams-Ward started out as a fullback, moved to linebacker and finally quarterback.
As a senior, Abrams-Ward rushed for 1,011 yards and threw for 1,622 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Abrams-Ward was also a standout basketball player and an integral part of two state championship teams. Known for his leaping ability, he was a prolific dunker at the high school level.
In addition, Abrams-Ward was a highly regarded baseball player. He struck out 16 in a game his senior season and was a solid outfielder.