Wake Forest police charge teen with shooting high school football coach’s wife
Wake Forest police charged a teenager late Friday with shooting the wife of a high school football coach in the 600 block of East Nelson Avenue.
On Saturday, police said the victim, Ericka Ruffin Lucas, 56, appeared to have been hit by gunfire meant for someone else and was not the intended target. There is no ongoing risk to the public, they said.
Police found Lucas, the wife of Wake Forest High School Football Coach Reggie Lucas, around 6 p.m. Friday with a gunshot wound. She was taken to the hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries, police said.
ABC11, the News & Observer’s newsgathering partner, reported that Ericka Lucas is also the former principal at Rolesville High School.
Police charged the 16-year-old suspect with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, according to a news release. The teen’s name is not being released, because of their age.
Police declined to say what school the teenager attends, and did not release any additional details about the shooting or the suspect.
The shooting took place about an hour before the Wake Forest Cougars were scheduled to kick off against the Pride at Leesville Road High School on Friday. The game was at Leesville Road, about 19 miles from the scene of the shooting.
The investigation is continuing, police said.
Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Police Tip Line at 919-435-9610. Callers can remain anonymous, police said.
This story was originally published August 30, 2025 at 9:13 AM.
