Mississippi seeks death penalty against man accused of killing six in recent shooting rampage

Mississippi prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing six people, including multiple family members, a 7-year-old child, and a church pastor.

Daricka M. Moore is being held without bail on murder charges in the deaths of his father, brother, uncle, 7-year-old cousin, a church pastor, and the pastor’s brother. Moore was arrested at a police roadblock following a four-hour manhunt involving local, state, and federal authorities. He is scheduled to appear before a judge on Monday.

Clay County District Attorney Scott Colom told The Associated Press that Moore will likely be appointed a public defender and that prosecutors intend to pursue the death penalty. Under Mississippi law, Moore would be ineligible for bail if the charges are upgraded to capital murder before his court appearance.

Authorities said the shootings occurred across multiple locations on a rural stretch of land, and that Moore is believed to have acted alone. Investigators believe he first killed his father, brother, and uncle inside their family’s mobile home. He then allegedly stole his brother’s truck and drove to his cousin’s home, where officials said he attempted to commit sexual battery before fatally shooting the 7-year-old girl.

"A situation like this, you’ve got a family member attacking their own family," said Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott. "Whatever the reason is, we’re hoping that we’ll find out."

Afterward, Moore allegedly went to the nearby Apostolic Church of The Lord Jesus, which some family members attended. Authorities said he broke into a residence on the church grounds, killed the pastor and the pastor’s brother, and stole one of their vehicles.

Moore was arrested at a roadblock at 11:24 pm, roughly four and a half hours after the first 911 call. Authorities said he was armed with a rifle and a handgun at the time of his arrest.

A motive had not been determined yet, and no other injuries had been reported. "Six people, one night, several different scenes, it’s about as bad as it gets," Colom said, defending the decision to seek the death penalty.