An argument over a stimulus test prompted a 25-year-old man to shoot his son’s mother and kill four of his relatives in a home in Indianapolis, according to reports.
The day before Malik Halfacre allegedly shot Jeanettrius Moore on Saturday and killed his family – killing his daughter, brother, mother and cousin – the father of one of Moore’s sons wanted half of his $ 1,400 stimulus check, relatives said to WXIN.
“He wanted part of Jeanettrius’ tax money, stimulus money,” Cousin Wendy Johnson told the station. “She said: No, you don’t deserve any of this. I work. I take care of our son. You do not do anything. “
Moore offered Halfacre $ 450, telling him “take it or leave it,” recalls Johnson.
“He said, I’m going to get that money,” said Johnson. “That was the day before.”
Halfacre later returned home and started rummaging through Moore’s purse for money when Daquan Moore tried to intervene to help his sister, prompting Halfacre to start “killing everyone,” said Johnson.
Relatives identified the victims as Moore’s 7-year-old daughter, Eve, her 23-year-old brother Daquan Moore, her mother Tomeeka Brown, 44, and her 35-year-old cousin, Anthony Johnson.
“He shot Daquan first,” said Wendy Johnson. “He shot Anthony. He turned and shot my aunt Tomeeka. My aunt Tomeeka said, ‘Malik!’ and he shot her again. “
Investigators said Halfacre also ran away from home with his 6-month-old daughter, Malia Halfacre, by firing an Amber Alert. The girl was later found unharmed earlier on Sunday, WISH said.
Meanwhile, Jeanettrius Moore, who worked in a beauty salon to support his two daughters, was shot in the back. She categorically told a neighbor that Halfacre shot her and killed her family because of the stimulus money, according to WISH.
“I said, ‘Why did he shoot you?’” Said neighbor Craig Jackson. “And his exact words were ‘stimulus money’ … His exact words were, ‘I am the one who escaped. He killed the rest of them. Those were her exact words. “
Moore, who was initially listed in critical condition, was discharged from a hospital on Monday, relatives told the station.
Halfacre remained detained without bail on Tuesday on preliminary charges of murder, theft and attempted murder, records show online.
Lorenzo Moore, Jeanettrius’ brother, said that Halfacre was known for carrying a gun, did not have a job and scared his sister.
“It was like you could feel that fear, but you never want to do anything about it because you are too scared and can get to where you came from,” Moore told WXIN. “Just him being angry for not having any money and for doing nothing for himself, so he thought he would take something from her.”