Child who saw fatherâs unsolved killing at Birmingham birthday party âalways asking for his daddyâ
Family and friends gathered this weekend to remember a 29-year-old father of three who was shot to death one year ago today at his birthday party in west Birmingham.
Deandre Martez Moore was gunned down Sept. 11, 2022, in a shooting that also left his brother in a wheelchair. The case remains unsolved.
His family on Saturday held Dre Day, a barbecue to honor Moore to keep his memory alive.
“We wanted to enjoy him as if he was here,’’ said his mother, Kizzy Lewis. The crowd wore shirts and pins bearing his photo on what would have been his 30th birthday celebration.
“It’s been so hard,” Lewis said.
The shooting happened late that Sunday afternoon at a house in the 5600 block of Avenue I in Ensley.
The shooting happened about 6 p.m. Sunday in the 5600 block of Avenue I, leaving one man dead and another injured. (Carol Robinson)
Police said the city’s gunfire detection system – Shot Spotter – alerted officers that shots were fired in the area. Simultaneously, 911 received a call telling dispatchers that two men had been shot in the same area.
They arrived to find the brothers suffering from gunshot wounds.
Moore was pronounced dead on the scene at 6:10 p.m. His brother survived but is in a wheelchair, Lewis said.
Lewis said she texted her son that morning to wish him a happy birthday and tell him she loved him.
“I had seen him the day before and given him his gift,’’ she said. “I said, ‘I love you,’ and he said, ‘I love you more.’’
“That was our last anything,’’ she said. “I still have that text.”
Deandrea Martez Moore, 29, was killed Sept. 11, 2022, at his birthday party in Birmingham. Family and friends gathered Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of his death. (Contributed)
Moore left behind his son, who is now 5 years old, and twin girls who were 3 months old at the time of the shooting.
Moore’s son was watching from a window when his father was killed.
“It’s been so hard for him,’’ Lewis said. “He’s so angry. He’s in Pre-K and his teacher said he’s always asking for his daddy.”
“He doesn’t like any loud noises now,’’ she said.
Lewis said her loved to crack jokes and laugh.
Deandrea Martez Moore, 29, was killed Sept. 11, 2022, at his birthday party in Birmingham. Family and friends gathered Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of his death. (Contributed)
“He was always happy,’’ she said.
Not having an arrest in the case compounds the pain.
She said police have solid leads but not enough to yet make an arrest.
“There’s no peace,’’ she said, “until somebody’s in custody.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.