A man has been arrested after killing four members of the family of his child's mother.
An Indiana man has been arrested after allegedly shooting the mother of his child and killing four of her family members, including her 7-year-old daughter, following a domestic dispute over the most recent round of $1,400 stimulus checks issued by the federal government COVID-19 relief package, a published report said.
Malik Halfacre is facing charges of murder, attempted murder, and robbery in connection with the quadruple homicide that killed Jeanettrius Moore's daughter Eve Moore, 7; her mother, Tomeeka Brown, 44; her brother Dequan Moore, 23; and her cousin Anthony Johnson, 35, on Saturday night, according to police.
On Sunday at around 2 p.m., Indianapolis Metropolitan Police (IMPD) followed a lead on Halfacre’s whereabouts, IMPD spokesperson Genea Cook said. A SWAT team waited for more than three hours outside of a home on the 6200 block of Eastridge Drive, near Arlington Avenue and 10th Street, during a tense standoff as officers tried to get Halfacre to walk outside, before using tear gas and entering the home. Halfacre was found in the attic and taken into custody without incident. Halfacre did not live in the home and detectives were trying to determine his connection to the homeowners, the Indianapolis Star reported.
Craig Jackson, a neighbor, told WISH-TV that he had been waiting for a food delivery when Jeanettrius ran to his house crying for help.
“She was frantic. She was hysterical. She was in pain,” Jackson recalled. “She said her baby daddy shot her, her mother and the kids. She said she was the only person who got away.”
Jackson said he called 911 and tried to keep the woman conscious by asking her questions as he waited for the police to arrive. She told Jackson that Halfcare shot her over "stimulus money.” She said, “I am the only one who got away. He killed the rest of them,” the news outlet reported.
Halfacre, who fled with the couple’s infant daughter, Malia Halfacre, which triggered an Amber Alert early Sunday. The infant was found safe around 5:30 a.m., according to police.
“He wanted some of Jeanettrius’ tax money, stimulus money,” a relative told WXIN.
The relative said Jeanettrius, who worked at a beauty supply store, had a fight with Halfacre a day before the shooting, during which she told him, “You don’t deserve any of this. I work. I take care of our child. You don’t do anything.”
The relative said her cousin offered Halfacre $450 of the stimulus money, telling him “take it or leave it." Halfacre replied, “I’m gonna get that money.”
The family member said Halfacre came back the next day and started “killing everybody," the news outlet reported.
Moore was released from the hospital on Monday. Members of her family have set up a GoFundMe page to cover the funeral expenses for the four victims. The fundraiser has raised more than $10,000 of its $75,000 goal.
According to reports, Halfacre is being held without bail at Marion County Jail One. He hasn’t been officially charged, the Marion County Clerk’s office told Inside Edition Digital. His arraignment is pending and it is not clear if he will be represented by a public defender or will have a private attorney, the clerk’s office said.
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