In the fading daylight of a late December afternoon in Hopewell, Virginia, the innocent play of an 8-year-old girl was tragically cut short. P'Aris Mi-Unique Angel Moore, a third-grade student at Harry E. James Elementary School, was outside playing on December 30, 2022, just four days before her ninth birthday. What should have been a time of youthful joy turned into a scene of unimaginable horror when a drive-by shooting occurred. A single gunshot wound to the chest ended the vibrant life of the young girl, leaving a community to grapple with the senseless violence that stole one of its own.
The investigation into P'Aris's death led to the arrests of three individuals. Seven months after the shooting, in August 2023, authorities announced that Jamari Antonio Taylor, then 20, and Rayquan Latrel Harvell, then 18, had been indicted on multiple charges, including first-degree murder. Taylor also faced charges of conspiracy to commit murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, while Harvell was indicted for possession of a firearm while committing a felony. Both were held without bond. The following month, the third and final suspect, Brandon James Warner, then 18, was taken into police custody.
The legal proceedings have seen one of the accused accept responsibility for his role in the tragic event. In March 2025, Brandon James Warner pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. His sentencing was scheduled for August of the same year. The trials for Jamari Antonio Taylor and Rayquan Latrel Harvell were set to take place later in the year. The community continues to await the full measure of justice for the little girl whose life was so violently and prematurely extinguished.
