West Point, Mississippi shooting: 6 killed, including family and pastor
Red and blue police lights on a car at a crime scene at night. Getty Images
A 24-year-old man has been charged after police say he went on a deadly shooting spree in northeast Mississippi Friday night.
What we know:
Six people were killed in a series of related shootings Friday night in the rural community of Cedarbluff, west of the county seat of West Point.
Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said in a press conference that the victims were shot at three separate locations.
The victims include four family members related to the suspect and two other adults. One of the victims was 7 years old, a second cousin to the suspect.
Investigators believe 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 on a dirt road.
The sheriff said Moore then stole his brother's truck and drove a few miles to a cousin's house, where he forced his way in and attempted to commit sexual battery. Scott said Moore than put a gun to the head of a 7-year-old girl, whom he declined to identify, and fatally shot her.
Scott said that according to witnesses, Moore then placed a gun against a younger child's head, but she was not shot. It was not clear whether he did not pull the trigger or the gun misfired.
Moore then allegedly drove to a small white frame church, the Apostolic Church of The Lord Jesus. There, Scott said, he broke into a residence, killed the pastor and his brother and stole one of their vehicles.
Scott said the last two victims, the Rev. Barry Bradley and Samuel Bradley, lived most of the time in nearby Columbus but spent weekends on church grounds. Some Moore family members attend the church, Scott said.
What we don't know:
A motive for the shooting was not immediately given by authorities.
What they're saying:
"I don’t know what kind of motive you could have to kill a 7-year-old," Scott said at a press conference Saturday.
"A situation like this, you’ve got a family member attacking their own family," Scott added. "Whatever the reason is, we’re hoping that we’ll find out."
What's next:
The suspect was identified as Daricka M. Moore.
He was being held without bail Saturday at the Clay County jail in West Point on murder charges and ahead of an expected initial appearance Monday before a judge.
Clay County District Attorney Scott Colom said he expects to pursue the death penalty.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, as obtained and reported by The Associated Press. This story was reported from Detroit.