The early morning killing of a 16-year-old boy at a school bus stop in 2021 shook the Louisville community and prompted Jefferson County Public Schools to create its own police department.
It was also just one of several violent acts allegedly tied to the same teen.
Demaurion Moore, now 19, has been charged in three shootings, as well as in a high-profile riot at a juvenile detention center, all before reaching adulthood.
Dozens of teens have found themselves on both sides of a gun in recent years, and anti-violence advocates say Moore’s string of charges shows how far the city and state still need to go in keeping teens away from gun violence.
As Moore awaits several trials related to the charges — with the first expected to take place in March in Adair County, here’s what to know about the alleged crimes and where his cases stand.
In depth: How one Louisville teen is connected to multiple high-profile crimes
Rayjon Baskin shooting
Police have accused Moore, an alleged gang member, of shooting Rayjon Baskin, 17, outside a White Castle at South Preston Street and Eastern Parkway on March 12, 2021.
Prosecutors argue the nonfatal shooting was in response to the killing of Jihad Powell, 18, two months earlier. Powell was fatally shot on New Year’s Day in the 6200 block of Shepherdsville Road. Though his homicide remains unsolved, according to Louisville Metro Police, prosecutors allege Baskin was somehow responsible for Powell’s death.
Moore and Matthew Welch were charged in Baskin’s shooting. Both were 15 at the time.
Moore has yet to stand trial for this crime.
Baskin, who was seriously injured in the White Castle shooting but survived, would face multiple other murder attempts before being fatally shot in July 2024. He was 20 years old. A 21-year-old and a juvenile have been charged in his killing.
Demaurion Moore listens to judge Tracy E. Davis during a pretrial conference of Moore and his codefendant Mekhi Cable, who are both named in the 2021 killing of Tyree Smith at a JCPS bus stop. Dec. 19, 2024
Tyree Smith homicide
Fast forward to September 22, 2021, Moore — who was not detained while awaiting trial for attempted murder — allegedly attempted to kill Baskin again, this time with the help of Mekhi Cable, the then-15-year-old brother of Powell.
Police say two guns were used to fire bullets at a bus stop in the Russell neighborhood, where Baskin was waiting with other students to board a bus to Eastern High. Baskin was not struck in the shooting. Instead, Tyree Smith, 16, was fatally struck, while a 13-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Moore and Cable were arrested for the shooting in December 2021. They have been charged as adults and are expected to face trial together in October.
Cortez Duncan homicide
Two months after Smith was killed, Moore and Cable are said to have fatally shot another teenager.
In the early hours of Thanksgiving 2021, Cortez Duncan, 15, was shot multiple times in the 600 block of Hecks Lane. He was taken to University of Louisville Hospital in critical condition and died that morning.
About 10 minutes later, police responded to a house around the corner in the 700 block of Dearborn Avenue, where they say they found Cable suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest. Moore was also at the house, allegedly hiding in an upstairs bedroom.
Cable, still 15, was taken to the hospital, where he stayed until he was healed enough to be moved to a juvenile detention center. Moore, then 16, was taken to a different juvenile center.
Moore and Cable are expected to face trial for Duncan’s murder alongside Smith’s in October.
Adair Regional Juvenile Detention Center riot
On Nov. 12, 2022, a riot erupted at the Adair Regional Juvenile Detention Center, during which teens allegedly attacked employees and raped a girl.
Multiple teens were charged in the riot, including Moore, who was one of three charged with rape. Moore had just turned 17. The two other teens charged in the rape have pleaded guilty, while Moore’s trial is slated to begin in March.
Krista Johnson covers education and children. Have story ideas or questions? Contact her at kjohnson3@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Demaurion Moore: Timeline of alleged shootings, Adair riot