"As Bad As It Gets": 24-Year-Old Charged in Rural Mississippi Rampage That Left Six Dead

"As Bad As It Gets": 24-Year-Old Charged in Rural Mississippi Rampage That Left Six Dead

CLAY COUNTY, Miss. — A quiet Friday night in rural northeast Mississippi shattered into chaos this weekend as a gunman moved from house to house, leaving a trail of six victims in his wake. Among the dead are the suspect's own father, brother, and a 7-year-old cousin, alongside a beloved local pastor and his brother.

Authorities have charged 24-year-old Daricka M. Moore with the murders, which spanned three separate crime scenes and triggered a massive manhunt across the shaken community.

A Trail of Violence

The violence began at the Moore family’s mobile home on a dirt road in western Clay County. Investigators say Moore first fatally shot his father, 67-year-old Glenn Moore; his brother, 33-year-old Quinton Moore; and his uncle, 55-year-old Willie Ed Guines.

From there, the rampage turned even more harrowing. Authorities allege Moore stole his brother’s truck and drove a few miles to a cousin’s home. After forcing his way inside, he reportedly held a gun to the head of a 7-year-old girl and pulled the trigger. Sheriff Eddie Scott described the scene as unimaginably violent, noting that witnesses saw the gunman place the weapon against another child’s head, though that child was miraculously spared.

"I don't know what kind of motive you could have to kill a 7-year-old," Sheriff Scott told reporters.

The Final Stop

The suspect’s final destination was the Apostolic Church of The Lord Jesus, a small white frame church where the Rev. Barry Bradley and his brother, Samuel Bradley, were staying for the weekend. Both men were killed after the gunman broke into the residence on the church grounds.

Moore was eventually apprehended at a police roadblock just before midnight, roughly four hours after the first shots were fired. He was reportedly armed with both a rifle and a handgun.

A Community in Shock

As state and federal officers flooded the area, the scale of the tragedy began to sink in. District Attorney Scott Colom, who intends to pursue the death penalty, summarized the horror facing the small community.

"Six people, one night, several different scenes," Colom said. "It's about as bad as it gets."

Moore is currently being held without bail as investigators continue to search for a motive behind the massacre that targeted those closest to him. "A situation like this, you've got a family member attacking their own family," Sheriff Scott said. "Whatever the reason is, we're hoping that we'll find out."