The fatal shooting of a West Palm Beach minister early on Sept. 27 may have been a case of mistaken identity, according to the arrest report of the man facing murder charges.
The alleged assailant Hugh Milner Jr. thought his ex-girlfriend was in a car with the Rev. Akeem Moore in a parking lot along Ontario Drive near Cardinal Newman High School, the report said. He walked up to the Ford Fusion to confront her minutes before Milner shot Moore, the report stated.
"Is this what we are doing now?" the woman said Milner called to her from outside the car, according to the arrest report.
Instead, the woman in the car with Moore was the sister of Milner's ex-girlfriend. Moore himself rolled down the window to tell Milner that the woman — his own girlfriend of more than a year — wasn't the person he was looking for and tried to drive away.
As he put the car into reverse, Milner opened fire, striking Moore in the back.
Moore told the woman he had been shot. The pair noticed blood on Moore's back and called 911 before Moore drove his Ford Fusion to the fire station on Congress Avenue, about a mile from where he was shot. Paramedics drove Moore to St. Mary's Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.
"Akeem should be remembered as a hero," West Palm Beach Police Chief Antonio Araujo said during a Sept. 30 press conference for his efforts to drive the woman to safety. "Even after being shot, he acted selflessly and courageously."
Milner is now in custody at the Palm Beach County Jail, where he faces charges including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and shooting into a vehicle. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office transferred Milner from Broward County late on Sept. 30.
Police have not said why Milner would have confused the two women.
Circuit Judge Donald W. Hafele denied bail for Milner at a hearing on Oct. 1 at the jail. It was not clear from court records whether an attorney had been appointed to represent Milner.
The woman also told police that Milner had sent her sister threatening texts shortly before he encountered her and Moore in their car and that she feared for her sister's safety that night as well as her own.
West Palm police say shooting may have been case of mistaken identity
Police said Milner drove away from the scene in a black Hyundai Elantra. They used used Flock camera technology and license-plate readers in the hours after the shooting to identify the car. Investigators tracked the vehicle to Broward County, where deputies located the car and arrested Milner.
Jail records indicate that Milner has an address in Riviera Beach.
Friends and family have celebrated Moore, 31, as a charismatic, young minister, musician and educator whose influence reached beyond the pulpit.
He led the worship ministry at Mount Calvary Baptist Church of West Palm Beach and also worked in its evangelistic outreach, technology and social media ministries.
<!-- 92035071007 -->Social media users remembered Moore, 31, for his passionate preaching, booming singing voice and lively performances on the drums, piano and keyboard.
State Rep. Jervonte "Tae" Edmonds, whose district includes parts of West Palm Beach and northern Palm Beach County, said Moore's death cut short the life of a promising community leader.
"Minister Akeem Moore deserved more time. More songs to sing. More lives to touch," Edmonds wrote on Facebook. "More years with the people who loved him."
Moore taught at Renaissance Charter School at Cypress in West Palm Beach and was an active member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He also was pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Moore's death has sent shockwaves through Palm Beach County's faith community, where he was known as a pastor, musician and mentor, even as a child. Those who knew him say he had the power to command a room with his voice, his preaching and his musical performances, even though he never learned to read music.
"Akeem had true talent that was given from God. He was born with it," said Malik Brown, Moore's cousin. "You could teach somebody to play basketball. You could teach somebody to play football, but you can't teach him to control rooms of 200, 300 people at seven years old."