With the district attorney calling him a “narcissistic, victim-blaming, gas-lighting abuser,” a Mississippi coast man was sentenced to 75 years for a September 2021 incident in which he attacked his wife with a sledgehammer, held her hostage, shot her twice and exchanged gunfire with police.

Vinet Williams Moore, 43, of Ocean Springs, Miss., will spend at least 50 years of his 75-year sentence in a Mississippi prison, Jackson County (Miss.) Circuit Court Judge Calvin Taylor ruled Monday. Moore was found guilty on charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault and burglary.

On Sept. 9, 2021, the victim’s two children, who escaped through a window, called 911 to report Moore had broken into their home with a sledgehammer and was attacking their mother. Deputies responded to the home in the St. Martin community, just north of Ocean Springs, just after 7 a.m.

Moore shot his wife twice when she attempted to escape. Deputies on the scene exchanged gunfire with Moore, allowing other deputies to remove the victim from the home. She was initially taken to Ocean Springs Hospital before transferring to the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile. She survived her injuries.

The surrounding neighborhood was also evacuated during the standoff. Ultimately, after a nearly 7-hours, Moore surrendered to law enforcement.

“Vinet Moore not only terrorized the victim and her daughters, but he also put the lives of the neighbors and the responding officers at risk,” said Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath. “Mr. Moore has still shown no remorse for his actions. He is the classic narcissistic, victim-blaming, gas-lighting abuser who abused the victim for years.

“Mr. Moore went to the victim’s home armed with two handguns with the intent to shoot her and he did just that. It is a miracle the victim survived her injuries. The children exhibited amazing bravery in getting their mom help and escaping from the home. The trauma and terror experienced by the victim and her daughters at the hands of Mr. Moore is unimaginable. The court’s lengthy sentence will protect not only the victim and her family, but the community at large.”