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. He was 32.
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 faced a judge in Whatcom County Court on Monday, May 11, where he pleaded not guilty to seven felony counts, including first-degree murder, burglary, and robbery.
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 campaign created to help cover his 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.”
Destiny Davis, who shares a young son with Cernich, remembered him as “a man who lived and died protecting those who couldn’t protect themselves” in a separate GoFundMe. She’s hoping to raise enough money for their child’s future care and education needs.
“While the world lost a hero, a little boy lost his father far too soon,” she wrote. “As I navigate this difficult time, my priority is ensuring that Avery has the support and the future his father would have wanted for him.”
Davis added that her family is grateful for the outpouring of love they’ve received in the wake of their loss.
“I find peace in knowing that one day, I can tell Avery that his dad was a man of true courage and sacrifice.”
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