Mississippi shooting victims identified: Did suspect Daricka Moore kill his own family?
Daricka M. Moore, a 24-year-old man from Mississippi, was arrested after a violent spree that left six dead, including family members and a church pastor.
A 24-year-old man from Mississippi took the lives of six people, including his father, brother, uncle, a 7-year-old cousin, a church pastor, and the pastor’s brother — across three different locations during a violent spree on Friday night in a rural region, as per authorities.
Daricka M. Moore was arrested at a police checkpoint in Cedarbluff shortly before midnight after a significant number of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers converged on the northeast Mississippi area, Politico reported.
Moore in custody without bail
Moore is currently being detained without bail at the Clay County jail in West Point on murder charges, with an anticipated initial court appearance scheduled for Monday before a judge.
Clay County District Attorney Scott Colom, who stated his plans to seek the death penalty, informed The Associated Press that it is likely Moore will be assigned a public defender during his appearance.
If the charges are elevated to capital murder before that date, Moore will not qualify for bail as per state law.
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Did Daricka M. Moore act alone?
Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott stated during a news conference on Saturday that both evidence and witness accounts suggest that Moore acted alone as the shooter, and there have been no reports of additional injuries.
Investigators are still in the process of interviewing Moore, but as of now, they are uncertain about what might have prompted his actions, he mentioned.
“A situation like this, you’ve got a family member attacking their own family. Whatever the reason is, we’re hoping that we’ll find out,” Scott said, as per Politico.
Mississippi shooting: Victims identities revealed
Officials suspect that Moore first killed his father, 67-year-old Glenn Moore, his brother, 33-year-old Quinton Moore, and his uncle, 55-year-old Willie Ed Guines, at the family’s mobile home in western Clay County.
According to the sheriff, Moore later took his brother’s truck and traveled a few miles to a cousin’s residence, where he unlawfully entered and attempted to perpetrate sexual battery. Scott reported that Moore aimed a gun at the head of a 7-year-old girl, whose identity he chose not to disclose, and tragically shot her fatally.
Moore then allegedly drove to Apostolic Church of The Lord Jesus. According to Scott, he illegally entered a residence, murdered the pastor along with his brother, and took one of their vehicles.
Scott mentioned that the last two victims, Rev. Barry Bradley and Samuel Bradley, primarily resided in the nearby city of Columbus but would spend their weekends at the church.
Meanwhile, the medical examiner of the state is conducting autopsies on the victims.
