Man enters plea in deadly shooting that stemmed from social media dispute

MORAINE — A man accused of shooting and killing a 19-year-old in Moraine has pleaded guilty.

Eric Ball pleaded guilty to a count of murder, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records.

As News Center 7 previously reported, officers were called out to the 2700 block of Gladstone Street on July 9, 2023, on reports of a shooting.

When officers got to the scene, they found Terry Martin,19, shot three times inside of the home. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

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Police said that 10 shots were fired at the house, with five of them hitting the front door. The gunfire just missed hitting Martin’s 77-year-old grandmother.

Moraine police said they found a pickup truck that left the area of the shooting abandoned in Kettering.

They gathered more information that led them to arrest Ball and an 18-year-old, both of Kettering.

Police also seized a handgun they believe was illegally purchased and used in the shooting. Shell casings were also found in the truck.

Ball and Martin had both gone to Fairmont High School and the two were engaged in some “feuding” activity on social media before the shooting.

While Ball has been charged, no charges connected to the incident have been filed against the 18-year-old who was also arrested.

Ball is expected to be sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to court documents.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 20.

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