Police: Social media posts lead to Monessen shooting
Trash talking and threats on social media led to a man being shot in Monessen, police said.
On Friday, Dwight Allen Moore Jr., 20, of 464 4th Street, Donora, was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, firearm not to be carried without a license, possession of instrument of crime with intent and eight counts of recklessly endangering another person.
Alleged victim Juwan Mull told police that he was walking along Locust Street when he heard the gunshots from behind. He was hit by one of the rounds, and when he didn’t see a shooter, he ran from the area. A woman who saw Mull running with blood on his clothing drove him to the hospital. Emergency officials called police to report a man with a gunshot wound above his buttocks was brought into the emergency room.
According to court paperwork, Mull told police that he and Moore have had recent animosity by engaging in various forms of trash talking and threats in person as well as on Facebook.
Police then interviewed a witness, who informed them that Moore was the shooter as he contacted the witness’s relative to apologize for firing shots close to the their home. Police contended Moore also asked if there were security cameras that had footage of the shooting, as he was concerned police would see it.
Police said the shooting occurred just before midnight on Thursday. A second witness who was not identified in court paperwork reportedly told police that five or six shots were fired, and identified Moore as the shooter.
Police searched that area of Locust Street and found six freshly-spent shell casings on the ground from a .380 semi-automatic pistol. Police determined by the location of the shells and no evidence of gunshot damage to the nearby structures, a person may have been the target of the gunshots.
A warrant has been issued for Moore’s arrest to face a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Joseph Dalfonso at a later date.