Bond denied for Coast man in wife’s shooting. ‘My mom didn’t deserve nothing like that.’
A Jackson County man will remain jailed without bond on an attempted murder charge for allegedly shooting his wife.
County Court Judge Mark Watts denied bond for Vinet Williams Moore, 41, during an initial court appearance Monday.
Moore is accused of shooting and injuring Michelle Coleman, 43, after he went to her home on Brookstone Drive in the St. Martin community early Thursday morning.
Coleman is an Air Force veteran and mother of four and still works as a licensed practical nurse at Keesler Medical Center. She has remained hospitalized in Mobile since the shooting.
Coleman and her husband had been going through divorce proceedings, family told the Sun Herald, and she had repeatedly tried to keep her alleged abuser away by obtaining restraining orders.
However, most protection orders last no more than 5 or 10 days unless a Justice Court judge or Chancery judge orders a protection, or restraining order, for a longer time, usually no more than 30 days.
Victim’s daughter speaks
Coleman’s daughter, Aariahn May, 22, attended the hearing.
She said her mother is still hospitalized after undergoing surgery to remove bullets and other fragments from her side and two in her chest area. In addition, she said, one of her mother’s arms is messed up as a result of the shooting.
But May described her mom as being “fine” considering what happened and said “she’s keeping her spirits up.”
May and other relatives aren’t surprised by the attack on their mother because they said she had been the victim of domestic violence allegedly at Moore’s hands on various other occasions.
“My mom didn’t deserve nothing like that,” she said. “She took care of that man. She tried to keep him away. The only time he would stay away was if I was there. He couldn’t live without her. It was like an obsession.”
The crime
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call at Coleman’s home shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday. The couple’s two children, ages 9 and 15, managed to escaped through a window after the shooting.
A deputy at the scene managed to pull Coleman out of the house to an ambulance to get her immediate medical treatment.
Deputies arrested Moore after a standoff, negotiating with him until his surrender seven hours after the shooting.
When deputies first arrived, there was an an exchange of gunfire with the suspect, Ezell said, though the man wasn’t hit. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the exchange of gunfire involving police.
Coleman’s family said their mother had repeatedly reported Moore for domestic violence, but said that did little to keep him away. Most recently, he had allegedly kicked in a door at the home and beat her so badly that her ribs were broken.
The sheriff said deputies had gone to the home in response to domestic violence calls on various occasions, but Moore was already gone by the time deputies got there.
How to get help for domestic violence on MS Coast
Gulf Coast Center for Non-violence: http://www.gccfn.org/wordpress/
- 24/7 Crisis Line: 800-800-1396
- Harrison County: 228-435-1968
- Jackson County (Adrienne’s House): 228-762-8267
- Hancock County: 228-252-1999
- Northcutt Legal Clinic: 228-864-7144
- Pine Belt Legal Clinic: 601-705-0139
This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 3:32 PM.
