NORFOLK, Va. — Nearly two years after a deadly shooting inside the MacArthur Center mall shocked Norfolk shoppers, a jury has found 42-year-old Gary Latrail Moore guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Roosevelt McKinney, 33.
This verdict comes after a retrial. A previous jury had convicted Moore of unlawfully wounding two innocent bystanders but couldn’t reach a decision on the more serious charge related to McKinney’s death.
The incident happened on April 2, 2022. Moore and a friend we
re shopping in Ghent when they ran into two men, one of whom was McKinney’s nephew. That first interaction turned tense but didn’t escalate. Later, all four crossed paths again inside MacArthur Center. Words were exchanged a second time, but again, nothing physical happened — until they encountered each other a third time.
Inside a hat store on the mall’s first floor, McKinney and his nephew followed Moore and his friend. A fistfight broke out. After it ended, McKinney and his nephew began to walk away. That’s when Moore pulled a gun from his bag and opened fire.
McKinney was hit three times — once in the leg and twice in the torso. He managed to run out of the mall but collapsed across the street, where he later died. Two other people, who had nothing to do with the fight, were also hit in the legs.
Moore was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, two counts of malicious wounding, and three firearms offenses. During his trial last year, Moore testified that he believed McKinney might have been armed, but admitted he never actually saw a gun. A firearm was later found near where McKinney died, but police couldn’t tie it to him.
Judge Jamilah D. LeCruise presided over the first trial and found that Moore had acted without malice, a key legal standard. She downgraded the charges to voluntary manslaughter and unlawful wounding. The jury convicted him on the latter but couldn’t agree on the manslaughter charge, forcing a retrial.
That retrial wrapped up this week. After hearing the evidence Tuesday and deliberating Wednesday, the second jury returned a guilty verdict for voluntary manslaughter.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi spoke about the outcome:
“Mr. Moore did not have the legal right to shoot at anyone, let alone someone running away,” Fatehi said. “Everyone has the right to be in public without the danger of catching a stray bullet.”
He added that while the prosecution aimed for a murder conviction, they respected the judge’s decision to reduce the charges and remained committed to pursuing justice.
Moore now awaits sentencing for all three convictions — voluntary manslaughter and two counts of unlawful wounding — on July 18. He also faces a separate probation violation hearing on May 29, tied to a previous offense.
For McKinney’s family and the two injured bystanders, this closes one legal chapter — but the impact of that day, and the bullets fired inside a busy mall, won’t soon fade.