NORFOLK, Va. — A Norfolk man will serve more than Gary Latrail Moore, 42, was sentenced on Aug. 15 for voluntary manslaughter, two counts of unlawful wounding, and violating his probation. The case stems from an April 2, 2022 incident in which Moore shot and killed 33-year-old Roosevelt McKinney and injured two other people during a fight inside the mall’s hat store.
A Dispute Escalates
Earlier that day, Moore and a friend had a run-in at a store in Ghent with two men — one of whom was McKinney’s nephew — over an ongoing dispute. They later crossed paths again downtown inside MacArthur Center. Words were exchanged again, but no violence occurred at that point.
Eventually, Moore and his friend moved to a hat store on the mall’s first floor. There, McKinney — who hadn’t been present for the earlier encounters — and his nephew followed them. A fistfight broke out. After it ended, McKinney and his nephew turned to leave. That’s when Moore pulled a gun from his bag and began shooting.
McKinney was struck three times, including two fatal shots to his torso. He ran out of the mall, collapsed across the street, and died. Two innocent bystanders were also shot in the legs during the incident.
The Legal Process
Moore was initially charged with second-degree murder, multiple firearm-related charges, and malicious wounding. At trial in August 2024, his lawyers argued he acted in self-defense, claiming he believed McKinney was armed — though he admitted never seeing a gun. Police later recovered a weapon near where McKinney collapsed but couldn’t link it to him.
Judge Jamilah D. LeCruise sided partially with the defense, ruling that Moore acted without malice, which reduced the charges to voluntary manslaughter and unlawful wounding. The court also dismissed the firearm charges that required proof of malice.
The jury in the first trial convicted Moore on the two unlawful wounding charges but couldn’t reach a unanimous decision on the manslaughter charge. That led to a mistrial on that count, which was retried in April 2025. A second jury found Moore guilty of voluntary manslaughter.
In May, Moore also pleaded guilty to violating the terms of his 2013 probation and, in July, to being a felon in possession of a firearm during the 2022 shooting. Prosecutors pushed for the maximum 25 years, while Moore’s defense requested no more than 10 years.
Judge LeCruise sentenced Moore to 10 years and nine months across the manslaughter, firearm, and wounding charges. Then, on Aug. 5, Judge Everett A. Martin Jr. added another six years and six months for the probation violation, bringing the total to 17 years and three months behind bars.
Community Impact
“This case was about a man who shot someone in the back while they were fleeing — a clear act of violence we believe was murder,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “We respect the rulings of the court and the juries. But nothing we’ve done can undo the loss the McKinney family has suffered.”
Fatehi praised the investigators and prosecutors for sticking with the long and complicated case, adding, “We’ll continue taking on the most difficult cases in our city to seek justice — even when the road is long.”