In the early hours of Sunday, June 4, 2017, the festive atmosphere at the Kick Back Lounge on State Street in Springfield, Massachusetts, was shattered by the sound of gunfire. As patrons were leaving the establishment, a violent encounter left three people shot. Among them was Chauncy Marshall, a 31-year-old Black male from Springfield. He was grievously wounded in the incident. Another man, 27-year-old Warren Payne, was also critically injured and died shortly after the shooting.
A third victim sustained less severe wounds.
Emergency services rushed Marshall to Baystate Medical Center for treatment. He fought for his life for four days before succumbing to his injuries on Thursday, June 8, 2017. His death turned the investigation into a double homicide, marking the city's eighth homicide of the year. In the immediate aftermath, the Springfield Police Department's Major Crimes Unit, in conjunction with the Hampden District Attorney's Office, launched an intensive investigation, appealing to the public for any information that could lead to an arrest.
For months, the case remained unsolved, leaving a cloud of uncertainty. Then, on September 14, 2017, a breakthrough occurred. A Massachusetts State Police trooper pulled over a vehicle for speeding and running a red light. During the traffic stop, the trooper discovered that the driver, 26-year-old Demetrius Moore of Springfield, was the subject of a murder warrant connected to the Kickback Lounge shootings. Moore was taken into custody without incident.
Demetrius Moore was subsequently arraigned in Springfield District Court for his suspected role in the murders of both Chauncy Marshall and Warren Payne. The Hampden District Attorney's Office announced the arrest, offering sympathies to the families of the victims and thanking the diligent work of the Springfield Police Department's Homicide Unit for identifying a suspect. At his arraignment, Moore was held without the right to bail, and the case against him began its journey through the court system.
