'We're still living each day with a void:' Gastonia man's killer at large 3 years later

When Stephan Moore receives a call from an unknown number, unlike many, he doesn't ignore it.

"You know, we live in a society where you don't answer calls that come from undisclosed numbers," Moore said. "We answer every call that comes. We're hoping it'll be the police department or it's someone that wants to give us some information."

Moore's 32-year-old brother, a Gastonia barber named Johnny "John Luke" Moore, was shot and killed in his Gastonia home on July 26, 2021. Moore, who worked at Next Level Barber Academy, was shot in a home invasion. His killer has never been found.

"We're still living each day with a void. We're living each day missing someone who brought so much laughter, so much humor, so much love and care to our family," Moore said. "We remain hopeful that there will be information to lead towards an arrest to bring a level of closure. It will never bring our loved one back … But at least it will allow us to be at a place to understand what happened."

Stephan Moore said that the fact that his brother's killer hasn't been found is disheartening. He recently sent a letter to Gastonia city leaders, appealing to them and asking them to hold a press conference with the Gastonia Police Department, asking people to trust the police and assist them with unsolved cases in Gastonia.

"There's no secret, I don't think Gastonia is immune from what's going around nationwide, where communities are losing confidence in the police department, or the lack of sharing with police departments," he said.

Moore remembers his brother as a "jokester."

"I remember him as the star athlete. I remember him as someone who told me not to forget my roots, someone who was a servant of that community to what allowed his life to be taken," he said. "If you sat in his chair, he was your therapist. He never wanted anyone to sit in his barber chair and not feel at peace. If you needed a laugh, he was going to give you a laugh … If you came in and you needed a haircut and you didn't have the money, he was going to cut your hair."

The Moore family has raised a $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of his killer.

"I personally am having a billboard put up on Franklin (Boulevard) on August the 13th. It'll be an unsolved murder billboard with his picture, asking individuals if they have any information to please call Crime Stoppers," Stephan Moore said.

Stephan Moore said that he used to speak with his brother every night.

"There were four of us total. John Luke was the youngest. We made a pact that we would talk every other day if not every day," Moore said. "That video call every night that he would start for us is absent, and so we find ourselves not doing it as frequently because he's not there."

Moore said that when he thinks of his brother's killer, he thinks of someone who is troubled, "someone who's probably sorry that they've done it, and they have no way, no out, and so they feel lost right now," he said. "I think in order to heal, you have to also be willing to forgive. Am I at that place? I can't say that I am. But I can say that I understand the process of grieving the process of healing, and when our family does receive answers … we will have to go through that grieving stage again, but we'll also have to allow ourselves to heal."

He said that he hopes that someone will come forward with information that will lead to answers for his family.

"If there's nothing else in this article, I just want you to urge the residents of Gastonia, Gaston County, that if they know any information about this, this unsolved murder, for them to please contact Crime Stoppers anonymously," he said. "If the information they provided leads to an arrest, they are eligible for a reward."

Crime Stoppers can be reached at 704-861-8000.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: 'We're still living each day with a void:' Gastonia man's killer at large 3 years later