On April 23, 2024, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Houston police officers responded to a shooting incident at an apartment complex located at 5610 Royal Palms Street. Upon arrival, they discovered 40-year-old Pelatiah Moore unresponsive, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services transported Moore to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.
Preliminary investigations, supported by witness testimonies, revealed that Moore had been involved in a verbal altercation with an unidentified male just before the shooting occurred. The suspect, initially described as a Black male between 40 and 45 years old, fled the scene in a silver, four-door sedan driven by a Black female with short hair and glasses.
Further investigative efforts led authorities to identify 51-year-old Reginald Dewayne Howard as the shooter. Consequently, a murder charge was filed against Howard in the 179th State District Court. On April 29, officers from the Houston Police Department's Southeast Patrol Division Crime Suppression Team apprehended Howard without incident. The female driver of the vehicle was located, questioned, and subsequently released without charges.
Howard's arrest brought some resolution to the case, as he awaited legal proceedings related to the murder charge. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Moore's death continued, with authorities seeking to understand the motive behind the fatal altercation.
