ST. LOUIS (KMOV/Gray News) – Loved ones held a vigil to honor a 26-year-old expecting father from Missouri who was shot and killed on Christmas Eve. The victim’s own father is accused of his murder.
Kevin Ward, 26, was a loving son, truck enthusiast, fiancé, expecting father and passionate worker for the Missouri Department of Transportation, his loved ones told KMOV.
“He loved his life,” his mother, Kathy Ward, told a crowd of dozens at Cliff Cave Park on Saturday. “He had big dreams ahead of him.”
The park was a place of solace for her son, Kathy Ward said, one where he would go on walks with his fiancée and dreamed of taking his future child. Those dreams were shattered on Christmas Eve when a dispute at the home of 61-year-old Harold Luster, Kevin Ward’s father, ended with the 26-year-old dead from a gunshot wound.
“I’m numb. Words can’t describe. I cry and then I stop… I feel like I’m in a nightmare,” Kathy Ward said.
According to court documents, Luster threatened Kevin Ward’s fiancée with a gun during an argument. Police said in a probable cause statement that Kevin Ward tried to de-escalate the situation but was ultimately shot by his father.
“To get your baby taken away on a senseless act, I wouldn’t wish that upon nobody,” Kathy Ward said. “It’s the most gut-wrenching thing that I’ve ever had to go through.”
Saturday was filled with memories about Kevin Ward, complete with a candlelit vigil and a balloon release.
“He really impressed me with the way he grew up, working for MoDOT, having a serious girlfriend, expecting a baby and really making a life for himself,” said Thomas Dittrich Jr., Kevin Ward’s former middle school assistant principal.
Knowing Dittrich’s recent certification as an officiant, he said the 26-year-old asked him to serve in the role at his wedding.
Kathy Ward said she will miss not seeing her son work on his truck, stopping by her home and spending time with her.
“Kevin was a special person, and I don’t want anyone to think for one second he did something wrong that night,” she said.
Luster is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the death of his son. He is currently jailed in Jefferson County without bond.
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