3 years after Gastonia barber killed, family hopes billboard will bring answers

GASTONIA, N.C. — Friday marks three years since a well-known barber was killed inside his home. That means it’s been three years since his family was torn apart and three years of them searching for answers.

Now, they tell Channel 9′s Ken Lemon they’re making sure everyone in Gastonia knows his name.

A new billboard may be key to finding answers. In the next couple of months, a sign posted along East Franklin Boulevard will be replaced with an image pleading for answers and offering a $5,000 reward.

Stephan Moore can never forget the day three years ago when police called him to his brother’s home on Allison Avenue.

“Would never imagine that I would walk into a crime scene and be informed where my brother laid to take his last breath,” he said.

He learned that someone shot and killed John Moore in a home invasion, according to police.

He said his brother was a well-loved barber who had a way of getting along with everyone.

“Someone who wanted to put a smile on everyone’s face,” Stephan Moore said.

That’s why his brother’s death is still so unimaginable to him.

Moore came from Washington, D.C. to Gastonia to remember his little brother.

Last year, friends released balloons in Moore’s memory. On Friday night, family members will join them in the ritual.

“Continue to lean and provide comfort for each other,” his brother said.

He said after that memorial, they’ll launch a public campaign asking for help.

In addition to Moore’s family, police are also asking for help. On Friday, they released a video featuring Stephan Moore and others.

“Our family is in need of answers,” he said.

Stephan Moore says the last three years have been agonizing. The family hopes their pleas, a $5,000 reward, and the sign on busy East Franklin Boulevard will make a difference.

“Give us some sign of relief or give us an answer,” he said.

He said they’re a forgiving family and he can understand if the person responsible for his brother’s death wasn’t thinking clearly at the time. But he said it’s hard to forgive someone for staying silent while a family is still in pain.

(WATCH PREVIOUS: ‘Step forward’: Family, friends raise reward for arrest in slaying of beloved Gastonia barber)

‘Step forward’: Family, friends raise reward for arrest in slaying of beloved Gastonia barber

©2024 Cox Media Group