He probably told his family in Mexico that he was going to stop by for a visit.
The family talked about how they were looking for ward to seeing their family member who is a Guardsman.
The talk spread and is heard by folks involved in the drug trade.
The folks in the drug trade decide that this would be a good chance to “send a message”, much the same way they send messages to local police, judges, military members, and reporters.
I would think that if he showed up to visit his family unannounced, we would not be commenting on his death.
for ward = forward