Oneal moore biography

The Unsolved Murder of Oneal Moore, a Black Deputy Sheriff in 1960s Louisiana

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    The Unsolved Murder of Oneal Moore, a Black Deputy Sheriff in 1960s Louisiana

    • Author

      Elena Ferrarin

    • Website Name

      aetv.com

    • Year Published

      2021

    • Title

      The Unsolved Murder of Oneal Moore, a Black Deputy Sheriff in 1960s Louisiana

    • URL

      https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/oneal-moore

    • Access Date

      February 17, 2025

    • Publisher

      A+E Networks

In 1965, Oneal Moore, one of the first two Black deputy sheriffs in Louisiana’s Washington Parish, was shot in a drive-by ambush while on patrol with his partner, Creed Rogers. The murder sparked an FBI investigation that spanned more than five decades. But while there was no secret about the identity of the prime suspects—all of whom were members of the Ku Klux Klan—no one has ever been charged in the crime.

Author Stanley Nelson explores the case in his book Klan of Devils: The Murder of a Black Louisiana Deputy Sheriff.

A finalist for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in local reporting, Nelson spok

Deputy Sheriff Oneal Moore

Oneal Moore

Deputy Sheriff Oneal Moore was shot and killed when he and his partner were ambushed while on patrol.

A pickup truck pulled up alongside their patrol car, and an occupant in the truck's bed opened fire, killing Deputy Moore and wounding his partner. Deputy Moore was Washington Parish's first black deputy, and it is believed that the deputies were attacked because of their race. There was an ongoing race war in the region led by the Ku Klux Klan.

Two suspects were arrested in Mississippi following the murder, but no charges were filed by the prosecuting attorney due to a lack of evidence. However, the investigation was reopened by the FBI in 1990, again in 2001, and was re-opened in 2009 by their Civil Rights-era Cold Case Initiative. The prime suspect died in 2003.

Deputy Moore was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office for one year. He was survived by his wife and four young daughters.

Bio

  • Age34
  • Tour1 year
  • BadgeNot available
  • Military Veteran

Incident Details

  • CauseGunfire
  • Weapon

    Murder of Oneal Moore

    Oneal Moore

    BornApril 23, 1931

    Louisiana, US

    DiedJune 2, 1965 (aged 34)

    Varnado, Louisiana, US

    Occupation(s)Deputy sheriff, Washington Parish Sheriff's Office
    Years activeMore than one
    Known forFirst African-American deputy sheriff in the parish; murdered by suspected white supremacists
    Children4

    Oneal Moore (April 23, 1931 – June 2, 1965) was the first African-American deputy sheriff for the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office in Varnado, Louisiana. He was murdered on June 2, 1965, by alleged members of the Ku Klux Klan in a drive-by shooting, one year and a day after his landmark appointment as deputy sheriff. An Army veteran, he was 34 years old, married, and the father of four daughters.

    Events

    The evening of June 2, 1965, Moore was driving home from work when an individual in a pickup truck shot at him and his partner, David Creed Rogers, another African-American deputy sheriff. Moore lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree, dying instantly from a gunshot wound to the head.

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