Bullets that killed Wake Forest educator were meant for relative, warrants say
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Search warrants show Ericka Lucas was struck by bullets aimed at a teen relative.
- Police allege Joshua Smith and Dexter Mills fired at the Wake Forest home Aug. 29, 2025.
- A rap video posted by Lucas’s relative indicates he was “gunning for” Mills, warrants say.
A Wake Forest woman fatally shot last summer was killed by bullets meant for another family member, according to search warrants reviewed by The News & Observer.
Ericka Ruffin Lucas, 56, was seriously wounded in an Aug. 30 shooting at a home on East Nelson Avenue, The N&O previously reported.
She died Sept. 9, and that afternoon, police charged 18-year-old Dexter Lamont Mills of Wake Forest and an unnamed 16-year-old with murder.
Lucas had a long career in public education, serving as the principal of Rolesville High School and in a number of other roles before her 2022 retirement, The N&O previously reported. She was also the wife of Wake Forest High School football coach Reggie Lucas.
Nearly five months after her death, recently released search warrants indicate Lucas was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between a teenage relative, Mills and the 16-year-old, who court documents identify as Joshua Smith of Wake Forest.
Officers were called to the home in the 600 block of East Nelson Avenue just before 6 p.m. Aug. 29, 2025, after multiple callers reported a shooting, according to search warrants. Lucas was found inside with a gunshot wound to the chest, her family members desperately trying to save her, the warrants state.
A family member who had been with Lucas during the shooting said they and about 10 others were on and around the front porch when the shots rang out, according to the warrants. The family member’s 18-year-old nephew, whom The N&O is not naming because he does not face any criminal charges, “was hiding around the corner of the house” when his aunt saw Smith and Mills standing at a nearby intersection, the warrants state.
The woman and another family member then saw Smith and Mills fire at the home, the warrants allege. Multiple shell casings were found at the intersection and on the ground where the 18-year-old had been standing, according to the warrants.
When detectives tried to speak with Lucas’ 18-year-old relative, he reportedly wouldn’t talk and denied being present, search warrants state. Officers learned he had a history of issues with Smith and Mills and theorized the pair had intended to shoot him.
After the shooting, Smith and Mills’ neighbor reportedly saw the teens stashing what appeared to be guns around their North Allen Road home and a doghouse on the property, according to search warrants. A blue bandana allegedly belonging to Mills was recovered among the shell casings at the crime scene.
A search of Lucas’s teenage relative’s Instagram and Facebook accounts revealed he was an amateur rapper who had posted a song allegedly referencing Mills days before Lucas’ death, according to search warrants. The song included the words, “I’m gunning for Mont,” a nickname for Mills, and featured the 18-year-old and others holding guns and singing about killing others, the warrants state.
It’s not clear when the video was recorded, but it was uploaded Sept. 5, 2025, warrants allege. Lucas’ relative had also posted a photo to his Instagram showing him hiding a handgun with an extended magazine in his jacket a few hours before the shooting, according to search warrants.
Smith and Mills remained in the Wake County jail without bail as of the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 2.
This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 4:21 PM.
