Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) sent a letter to Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell asking for information relating to her office's actions against accused Pine Hills shooter Keith Moses on why he had not been prosecuted by her office prior to carrying out his recent shooting.
In the shooting that took place in February, Moses, 19, allegedly killed three people, including a news reporter and a 9-year-old girl. In the letter, General Counsel Ryan Newman wrote the tragedy might have been prevented had Worrell done her job:
The shocking nature of these horrific acts is difficult enough to process, but even more galling is the fact that the man who was promptly arrested for these crimes, Mr. Keith Melvin Moses (aka Keith Moses), date of birth June 11, 2003, has been allowed to remain on the streets after multiple arrests, including one your office has refused to prosecute. He has also been reported as a "known gang member" with an extensive criminal history, including aggravated battery, assault, and grand theft
...
The failure of your office to hold this individual accountable for his actions - despite his extensive criminal history and gang affiliation - may have permitted this dangerous individual to remain on the street. Clearly, Mr. Moses should never have been in a position to commit those senseless crimes of last week. As we seek to learn valuable lessons from this heartbreaking event, we must determine if Mr. Moses was enabled by gaps in our sentencing laws that must be corrected, or, to be frank, your office's failure to properly administer justice.
At the time of the shooting, Moses was on Juvenile Felony Probation at the time of an arrest in 2021, "having previously been arrested for offenses such as Battery, Burglary, Larceny, Robbery with a Firearm, Possession of a Firearm, Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon Without Intent to Kill, and multiple instances of resisting an officer, among other serious arrests."
Newman gave Worrell a deadline of March 14 to provide the governor's office with all information her office has relating to Moses.
When Moses was arrested after the shooting by the Orange County Sheriff's Office, he tried claiming he couldn't breathe while screaming.
This is the moment OCSO deputies apprehended Keith Moses, who shot five people on Feb. 22, killing three: 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin, 9-year-old T’yonna Major and @MyNews13 reporter Dylan Lyons. pic.twitter.com/KS7hx1Q2V2
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) February 23, 2023