Police officers were dispatched to a suspicious person call at the Calvary Church, 4001 Osuna Road NE, around 11 p.m. Friday to find security guard and retired Bernalillo County commanding firefighter Daniel Bourne dead in a nearby arroyo.
Bourne’s supervisor found Bourne when he came to check on him. Bourne, 61, had sent photos of a suspicious vehicle around 9:20 p.m. and was no longer responding.
Because of the photos Bourne took of the blue Ford F-150 truck with a license plate number, the Albuquerque Police Department was able to find and arrest 35-year-old Marc Ward Saturday afternoon at his home near Wyoming and Alameda NE. Police say they found damage to Ward’s vehicle, including skin and hair left in a crack in a headlight.
Police say Ward hit Bourne with his truck in the Calvary Church parking lot and then dragged him to the nearby arroyo. Police explained a bullet casing, tire marks and a blood trail were at the scene, but Bourne’s pistol and other items were missing from the area.
Bourne was a battalion commander with the Bernalillo County Fire Rescue from 1988 to 2008 and also served in the Coast Guard. He was a father to three children and dedicated his time to protecting the church, according to statement from Calvary.
Ward has a history of domestic violence as well as aggravated battery and criminal sexual contact of a minor. In addition to being arrested on a restraining order violation in August, he was also serving two years of probation for pleading guilty to beating his ex-wife in 2020. He has now been charged with the murder of Daniel Bourne.
An online fundraiser has been set up by the church for Bourne’s family, and people can donate at the link here.
