Mississippi prosecutors to seek death penalty against man accused of deadly rampage that included girl, pastor
A 24-year-old Mississippi man accused of killing six people — including family members, a child and a church pastor — in a violent shooting rampage that unfolded across multiple rural locations Friday night may face the death penalty, prosecutors said.
Daricka M. Moore was being held without bail at the Clay County jail in West Point on murder charges in connection with the killings of his father, brother, uncle, 7-year-old cousin, a church pastor and the pastor’s brother.
Moore is expected to make an initial appearance in court before a judge on Monday. He would likely be appointed a public defender at that time, Clay County District Attorney Scott Colom told The Associated Press.
Colom said he expects to pursue the death penalty against Moore. If charges are upgraded to capital murder before the court appearance, Moore will be ineligible for bail under state law.
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Moore was arrested just before midnight at a police roadblock in Cedarbluff after dozens of local, state and federal officers flooded northeast Mississippi. The shootings unfolded across a rural stretch of fields, woods and modest homes.
Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said evidence and witness accounts show Moore acted alone. No other injuries were reported.
Investigators continue to question Moore but have not yet determined a motive, Scott said.
"A situation like this, you’ve got a family member attacking their own family," Scott said. "Whatever the reason is, we’re hoping that we’ll find out."
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, inside the family’s mobile home on a dirt road in western Clay County.
Scott said Moore then stole his brother’s truck and drove a few miles to a cousin’s home, where he forced his way inside and attempted to commit sexual battery. He then put a gun to the head of a 7-year-old girl and fatally shot her.
"I don’t know what kind of motive you could have to kill a 7-year-old," Scott said.
The girl’s mother and another child were also inside the home.
Witnesses told investigators Moore later held a gun to the head of a younger child, but she was not shot. It remains unclear whether he pulled the trigger or the weapon malfunctioned.
"That’s how violent it was," Scott said.
Moore then drove to the Apostolic Church of The Lord Jesus, a small white-framed church nearby that some members of Moore’s family attend, Scott said. Moore allegedly broke into a residence on the church grounds, killed the pastor and his brother, and stole one of their vehicles.
The victims were identified as the Rev. Barry Bradley and Samuel Bradley. Scott said the two typically lived in nearby Columbus but spent weekends at the church.
Authorities arrested Moore at a roadblock at 11:24 p.m., about four and a half hours after the first 911 call, Scott said. Prosecutors said Moore was armed with both a rifle and a handgun. Investigators are working to determine how he obtained the weapons.
The state medical examiner is conducting autopsies on all six victims.
Scott said the shootings had left Moore's surviving family and the small community "really shaken."
"It was really hard to have conversations other than prayers with everybody out there," he said.
Colom said he is confident his office has the resources to prosecute Moore and believes seeking the death penalty is appropriate.
"Six people, one night, several different scenes, it’s about as bad as it gets," Colom said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.