Tributes are pouring in for a father who was shot to death while protecting his girlfriend from her armed ex-husband as he allegedly attacked her in Ferndale.
The harrowing incident unfolded around 3:30 a.m. Friday, May 8, at a residence in the 2300 block of Ferndale Terrace, according to Ferndale Police.
Police say 46-year-old Michael Steven Daniels forced his way into his ex-wife’s home despite an active domestic violence no-contact order, setting off a chaotic series of events that prosecutors now say ended in murder.
A physical altercation allegedly broke out between the two after Daniels took her phone and displayed a handgun, according to police.
Jordan Cernich, who police said was in a dating relationship with Lacy Daniels and living at the residence, reportedly returned home during the confrontation.
Authorities said a fight then erupted between Cernich and Daniels. During the struggle, Cernich allegedly struck Daniels in the head with an unknown object. Daniels briefly backed away and claimed he was leaving before allegedly turning and firing several rounds, striking Cernich, police said.
As Daniels fled the home, investigators said he encountered two juveniles who had been sleeping inside the residence. One of the minors became involved in a physical confrontation with Daniels before he allegedly threatened the children and ran from the scene.
According to police, Daniels parked his vehicle down the street before fleeing the area.
When officers arrived, they found Cernich suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Before being taken to St. Joseph Medical Center, Cernich told them that “Mike,” Lacy Daniels’s ex-husband, had shot him, according to police.
Despite lifesaving measures, Cernich ultimately died from his wounds.
Hours later, around 8:52 a.m., authorities spotted a person matching the suspect’s description on Sucia Drive in the Sandy Point area.
Deputies with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, along with officers from the Lummi Nation Police Department, Washington State Patrol, United States Border Patrol, and the Bellingham Police Department responded to assist in the search. Daniels was taken into custody without incident.
Investigators later recovered a concealed handgun during a K-9 search near Daniels’s residence in the 4000 block of Tsata Lane, according to police.
Daniels was booked into the Whatcom County Jail on allegations of first-degree murder, first-degree burglary involving domestic violence, and felony domestic violence court order violation.
He is also charged with first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, first-degree robbery involving domestic violence, and second-degree assault involving domestic violence.
Ferndale police thanked the assisting agencies for what they described as a coordinated multi-agency response.
Days after the murder, social media has been flooded for tributes for Cernich, who leaves behind a son.
“You were a childhood friend, a protector, a big brother to many,” Chelsey Kirscheman penned on Facebook. “You had your ups and downs but you always managed to be there when someone needed you.”
“Jordan had a bigger than life personality who would help anyone if needed,” his mother Jennifer Cernich wrote in a GoFundMe created to help cover funeral expenses. “If you were his friend you were family.”
She remembered her son as a selfless man who died while “protecting a woman against her ex husband who was stalking her.”
“You weren’t just my baby boy, you were my heart,” she wrote on Facebook. “And now my heart is totally shattered.”
Funeral services for Cernich had not been publicized as of Monday, May 11. Those intersted in supporting the family can donate via GoFundMe here.
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