Victims include three relatives, a church pastor, the pastor’s brother and a 7-year-old girl.
WEST POINT, Miss. — A 24-year-old Clay County man was arrested late Friday after six people were shot to death at three locations in a rural part of northeast Mississippi, including a 7-year-old girl, authorities said.
Officials said the shootings unfolded across separate homes within miles of West Point and Cedarbluff on Friday night, Jan. 9. Investigators identified the suspect as Daricka M. Moore and said he acted alone. The dead included Moore’s father, brother and uncle, as well as a child related to him and two men connected to a local church. The case moved quickly from frantic 911 calls to a county-wide manhunt that ended at a roadblock just before midnight. Prosecutors said they are preparing capital charges as detectives continue gathering statements, mapping the timeline and processing firearms recovered at the scenes.
Authorities said the first shootings were reported at a mobile home on David Hill Road, where Moore’s father, Glenn Moore, 67, his brother, Quintin Moore, 33, and his uncle, Willie Ed Guines, 55, were found with gunshot wounds. Investigators said Moore fled in a relative’s pickup and drove to a house on Blake Road, where they allege he attempted a sexual assault and fatally shot a 7-year-old girl in front of witnesses. A second child escaped, according to officials. Moore then traveled to a third site on Siloam-Griffith Road, where two brothers, Barry Bradley and Samuel Bradley, were shot and killed. “This is a tragedy for our county,” Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said, adding that deputies, state troopers and federal agents flooded the area within minutes of the first calls.
Officials said the suspect carried a rifle and a handgun. Crime-scene teams worked through the night to collect shell casings, cell phone data and vehicle evidence. Investigators said Moore left one location in his brother’s Ford F-150 and later switched vehicles, which helped authorities track his movements in real time. Deputies and state officers set up checkpoints on roads leading to Cedarbluff and West Point. Moore was taken into custody at a roadblock in Cedarbluff shortly before midnight without additional injury, officials said. The motive remains unknown. Detectives are interviewing relatives, neighbors and surviving witnesses and are seeking video from nearby homes and businesses that may show the suspect’s route.
Clay County officials said the case will be presented to prosecutors for potential capital murder counts. Moore is jailed without bond and is expected to make an initial court appearance early this week. Autopsies are underway at the state crime lab to confirm causes of death and the sequence of shots. Sheriff’s investigators are also preparing affidavits documenting the firearms seized, ballistic matches and witness statements. Prosecutors said they will review whether the facts meet state standards for the death penalty. Any competency evaluation, if requested by defense counsel, would be handled in later court proceedings.
The killings shook congregants at a nearby church where the Bradley brothers worshiped and served. Neighbors described a fast-moving response Friday evening, with patrol cars racing down two-lane roads and tape going up around driveways. “We’re hurting for these families,” Sheriff Scott said, noting that counselors and faith leaders were checking on survivors. A family acquaintance who asked to be identified only by first name said the young child killed at Blake Road was “full of energy” and often played outside with friends in the neighborhood.
As of Sunday, investigators had not released a motive. Sheriff’s officials said more information would come after Monday’s initial appearance and as the autopsy and ballistics reports are completed. Detectives planned to return to each scene for daylight searches and to re-interview witnesses in the coming days.
Author note: Last updated January 11, 2026.