WEST POINT, Miss. (AP) — A 24-year-old Mississippi man killed six people — his father, brother, uncle, 7-year-old cousin, a church pastor and the pastor’s brother — at three locations during a Friday night rampage in a rural area, authorities said.
Daricka M. Moore was arrested at a police roadblock in Cedarbluff just before midnight after dozens of local, state and federal officers flooded the northeast Mississippi area.
Moore 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, who said he expects to pursue the death penalty, told The Associated Press that Moore would likely be appointed a public defender at that time.
If charges are upgraded to capital murder before then, Moore will be ineligible for bail under state law.
Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said at a Saturday news conference that evidence and witnesses indicate that Moore was the only shooter and no other injuries have been reported.
Investigators were continuing to interview Moore but do not currently know what may have motivated him, he added.
“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.”
The shootings unfolded in an area of fields, woods and mostly modest homes about 125 miles (200 kilometers) northeast of Jackson.
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 in western Clay County.
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.
“I don’t know what kind of motive you could have to kill a 7-year-old,” he said.
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.
“That’s how violent it was,” Scott said.
The mother and a third child were also present, the sheriff said.
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.
Moore was caught at a roadblock at 11:24 p.m. near where the second shooting occurred, Scott said, four-and-a-half hours after the first call came in. Colom said Moore had a rifle and a handgun. Scott said officers are investigating where Moore obtained the guns.
The state medical examiner is performing autopsies on the victims.
Scott said Moore’s surviving relatives are overwhelmed with grief.
“It was really hard to have conversations other than prayers with everybody out there,” he said, adding, “this has really shaken our community.”
Colom, a Democrat who is seeking his party’s nomination this year to run against Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith, said he is confident that his office has the resources to prosecute Moore and pursuing the death penalty is the right thing to do.
“Six people, one night, several different scenes, it’s about as bad as it gets,” Colom said.
