CLAY COUNTY – A suspect is in custody after a Friday night shooting spree left six dead.
Daricka Moore, a 24-year-old male, was booked on first-degree murder charges, Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said at a Saturday press conference. Moore was booked at 3:25 a.m. Saturday, after allegedly killing six people at three different homes.
Those charges are expected to be upgraded to capital murder before Moore’s initial hearing at the Clay County Court Complex Monday, Scott said. He said additional charges are likely as the investigation continues.
“This is really, really shaking our community, and for me, almost 30 years, and this is one of the toughest ones we’ve had to work,” Scott said during the Saturday press conference. “…Our job right now is to thoroughly investigate and make sure that we get our district attorney’s office everything that they need to prosecute.”
Scott detailed a narrative of the alleged crime at the press conference.
At about 7:03 p.m. Friday, deputies responded to a 911 call made regarding a gunshot victim at 299 Blake Road. After arriving on the scene, deputies found a dead 7-year-old female, later identified as a second cousin of the suspect, at the home where Moore allegedly shot the victim and forced his way in while attempting to commit a sexual battery with a handgun.
Scott said he would not disclose who was the intended victim of the sexual battery during the press conference, but said the 7-year-old victim was home with her mother and other siblings.
Prior to entering that house, investigators believe Moore shot and killed Glenn Moore, 67, Willie Ed Guines, 55, and Quinton Moore, 33, at 123 David Hill Road, which is about three miles north of Blake Road. All three were relatives of Daricka Moore, Scott said.
After killing the three men, Daricka Moore allegedly stole a Ford F-150 belonging to his brother Quinton Moore and traveled to 299 Blake Road, where the 7-year-old victim was found.
Later on that evening, it’s believed Daricka Moore then traveled to 1965 Siloam-Griffith Road in the stolen truck, which was left at the residence. Investigators found two deceased men at that address who were identified as Barry and Samuel Bradley. Both had suffered gunshot wounds to the head and were pronounced dead on the scene.
Scott said state and federal law enforcement assisted in establishing a perimeter around the crime scenes and were able to capture Daricka Moore in a second stolen vehicle at about 11:24 p.m. without incident at the intersection of Pine Grove Road and Joe Myers Road.
Scott said Daricka Moore was booked at the Clay County Jail later that evening on first-degree murder charges.
Currently, Scott said, a motive is unknown, but for this sort of crime it would require “something drastic.”
“Personally, I don’t know what kind of motive you could have to kill a seven-year-old,” Scott said. “It’s just none out there that you can (use to) explain to me why this will happen.”
16th Circuit District Attorney Scott Colom said that his office is seeking the death penalty in this case due to the severity of the crimes committed.
“This is the type of case where the death penalty is going to have to be really looked at,” Colom said during the press conference. “I mean, and when I say that there are certain legal processes that we have to go through, we have to continue the investigation. You have to go through mitigation experts. There’s going to be mental evaluations done. But after all that is said and done, if he’s eligible for the death penalty, the district attorney’s office is going to go for the death penalty.”
Colom said the case would be handled by assistant district attorney Trina Davidson, who is also handling the office’s prosecution of the Oasis Lounge shooting case for the district attorney’s office. Colom said Davidson requested the case because of her connection to the Clay community.
Davidson agreed that the severity of the case leads to the death penalty being a strong consideration.
“I extend my condolences to the families who are suffering and grieving this morning, and I can tell you that (they’re) grieving with me,” Davidson said. “As (Colom) indicated, I’ll be the special prosecutor heading this case, and I agree with him 100% this is one case that deserves the death penalty, and we’re going to do everything in our power, along with the local law enforcement officers and officers who were involved in this case to prosecute this case.”
Colom said during the initial hearing, Daricka Moore will likely not receive a bond because of his expected capital murder charges.
Scott said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with additional information in this case is asked to call the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at (662) 494-2896 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at (800) 530-7151.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
