NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — NEWPORT NEWS, Va.—- A mother in Newport News is grieving her first Christmas without her son after he was shot at Patrick Henry Mall.
Courtney Brown says what was supposed to be a quick shopping trip for her son Diamante Neal turned deadly on November 29th. Police found Neal on the floor of a clothing store just before 11 a.m. with multiple gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to Riverside Hospital where he died.
"I cant hold my baby, I cant hear him tell me on facetime mommy I love you, are you okay?" Brown expressed.
Police arrested Gary Carlton Moore III who told officers he acted in self-defense after Neal allegedly threatened to kill him. But court records tell a different story. Surveillance video shows Moore was already inside the store when Neal entered and began looking at clothes.
Moore approached Neal and the two talked before Moore attempted to tackle him. During the struggle, police say Moore disarmed Neal of his gun, then pulled out his own weapon and shot Neal multiple times.
Brown says the two men knew each other and had a 13-year-old dispute. Neal worked as an electrician at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and coached youth football in Newport News.
His mother plans to start a nonprofit to help underserved kids in his honor, and during this time of grief, she shares an important message.
"You all need to put these guns down. When is it going to stop?" Brown asked.
Moore is being held at Newport News City Jail and is expected in court December 15th.
