In the early morning hours of May 1, 2016, the life of 27-year-old Anthony B. Moore, a Black male from Chester, Pennsylvania, was tragically cut short. The incident that led to his death began to unfold around 1:20 a.m. near the corner of Fifth Street and City Hall Place, a scene that would soon be swarming with emergency personnel. Moore was discovered unresponsive, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
Despite the swift arrival of medical help, his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into Moore's violent death painted a picture of a dispute that escalated to a fatal conclusion. It was revealed that the events leading to the shooting began at the Gold Room bar. A fight had broken out inside the establishment between two men from rival neighborhoods, Highland Gardens and Bennett Homes. Anthony Moore, who was associated with Bennett Homes, left the bar around the time of the altercation.
He was followed. As Moore neared an intersection, he attempted to flee from a group of individuals from Highland Gardens who were pursuing him. It was then that two men, Erikk Wright and Alvin Henry Grasty, drew their firearms and opened fire on Moore, who fell to the ground. The entire harrowing incident was captured by surveillance cameras from both the Gold Room and a nearby business, providing crucial evidence for investigators.
Within weeks of the shooting, the Chester Police Department made significant headway in the case. In May 2016, both Alvin Grasty, then 26, and Erikk Wright, then 22, were arrested and charged with criminal homicide and first-degree murder in connection with Anthony Moore's death.
The legal proceedings that followed brought a measure of justice for Anthony Moore and his loved ones. During the trial, the prosecution presented the compelling surveillance footage that showed both Wright and Grasty pointing and firing their guns at Moore. Initially, Grasty denied seeing or shooting the victim that night. However, when confronted with the video evidence, he confessed to carrying a gun and firing it multiple times.
On June 5, 2018, Alvin Grasty was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and illegal possession of a firearm. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder charge, with an additional consecutive sentence of 30 to 60 months for the other charges. His co-defendant, Erikk Wright, was found guilty of third-degree murder and related charges. He received an aggregate sentence of 18 to 36 years of imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year period of probation. The firearms used by Wright and Grasty in the shooting were never recovered.
