PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Two Navy sailors are charged in connection with the death of a third sailor in Portsmouth.
Darius Dontrell Whitted, 19, was shot during a fight between a group of U.S. Navy sailors at the intersection of Fiske Street and Alywin Road on Oct. 12. He died at Portsmouth Naval Hospital that night, according to court records.
Whitted was in the Navy for nearly two years before he died. He most recently served as an aviation machinist’s mate airman on the Airborne Command and Control Squadron 120 at Naval Station Norfolk, according to biographical information provided by the Navy.
Taiquan Malik Moore, also a sailor, is charged with Whitted’s death, which has been investigated as a homicide. The 23-year-old enlisted in the Navy in August 2019. He currently serves as a machinist mate firearm apprentice on the USS George H.W. Bush at Naval Station Norfolk, according to biographical information provided by the Navy.
Police responded to the shooting around 8:25 p.m. A witness identified Moore as the shooter. Moore fled the scene after he was confronted by another man for being “verbally disrespectful” to two women, court records state.
Officers found eight shell casings at the scene, as well as video recordings that showed Moore allegedly firing at least 10 rapid gunshots during the fight. Bullets also damaged two nearby homes, and a resident who was outside during the shooting discovered two holes from a bullet in his pants leg, according to court records.
Moore was charged with second-degree murder, the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, malicious shooting into an occupied building, and reckless handling of a firearm.
Moore told Portsmouth police that the gun used in the shooting belonged to another sailor, Stephon Keon Mosley. The 21-year-old enlisted in the Navy in July 2019. He is also stationed on the USS George H. W. Bush and serves as a retail services specialist, according to biographical information provided by the Navy.
Mosley was present during the shooting, and allegedly helped Moore discard the gun at a home in Virginia Beach. He is charged with being an accessory to murder.
Moore and Mosley are out of jail on bail. When asked about their status in the Navy, CDR Jennifer Cragg told 10 On Your Side investigators that “the Navy does not typically place service members in pre-trial confinement solely because they are pending criminal charges.” She confirmed the Navy will continue to work with Portsmouth authorities for the duration of the case.
Both men are scheduled to appear in Portsmouth General District Court on Dec. 11 for preliminary hearings.
