In the early morning hours of November 9, 2019, the life of 29-year-old Shauntinae Hardwick, a Black female from Houlka, Mississippi, was tragically cut short. An argument with her boyfriend, 30-year-old Eric O'Neal Moore, escalated into a fatal confrontation inside their mobile home on Viola Street. The couple's three children were present in the home when the dispute took a violent turn.
During the altercation, Moore allegedly brandished a gun and shot Hardwick in the head.
A witness inside the home identified Moore as the shooter to the first responding Houlka police officer. The children, though shaken, were not physically harmed.
Following the shooting, Moore fled the scene. Chickasaw County Sheriff James Meyers, who was familiar with Moore's family, contacted them for assistance. Family members were able to convince Moore to surrender to authorities. Two hours after the incident, Moore was arrested at a relative's house. He also informed investigators where they could find the weapon used in the shooting, which they subsequently recovered.
Eric O'Neal Moore was charged with murder in the death of Shauntinae Hardwick and a judge denied him bond. Hardwick's body was sent to the state crime lab in Pearl for an autopsy. The community was deeply affected by the incident, which highlighted the devastating consequences of domestic violence.
