Muhiyidin Elamin Moye, a 32-year-old Black/African American man, was a prominent activist from Charleston, South Carolina. In the early morning hours of February 6, 2018, while on a personal trip to New Orleans, Moye was shot in the thigh while riding his bicycle in the 2200 block of Bienville Street. Despite being wounded, he attempted to ride his bicycle for several blocks to get help before collapsing.
A police officer, responding to a call about gunfire around 1:25 a.m., found Moye on the ground, bleeding and asking for help. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition and died approximately six hours later due to excessive blood loss.
The investigation into Moye's death initially had few leads, and a motive was not immediately clear. Friends and family described the shooting as a seemingly random act of violence. However, a breakthrough came when a tip to Crimestoppers helped police identify a suspect. In July 2018, New Orleans police arrested 26-year-old Roosevelt Iglus and charged him with second-degree murder in connection with Moye's death.
Surveillance footage from the area showed a man, later identified as Iglus, attempting to knock Moye off his bicycle and then firing at him as he rode away. While a definitive motive was never established in court, investigators speculated that Moye may have been a case of mistaken identity.
In July 2019, Roosevelt Iglus pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of manslaughter. He also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Under a plea agreement approved by Moye's sister, Iglus was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
