FORT PIERCE, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida man and his mother are both facing charges after a deadly shooting at the home they shared with the victim.
Dale Mincey is accused of killing his uncle. (St. Lucie Co. Sheriff’s Office)
Dale Mincey, 41, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the death of his uncle, Andre Barnes, who was shot to death the day before his 66th birthday. His mother, Karen Moye, is accused of giving false information to law enforcement investigating the case.
Police were called to the Fort Pierce home where Barnes lived with his sister and nephew after Moye called 911 to report a shooting. When they met her outside, she told officers that she had been in the bathroom and heard muffled yelling and then a single shot.
Mincey surrendered to police, who made entry into the home through a side door because the victim’s body was blocking access through the front. When they took him into custody, police noted “in plain view, a black Palmetto State Armory rifle-style short-barreled firearm equipped with a silver-colored red dot optic. The firearm contained an aluminum-colored magazine that had been spray-painted red and was lying on the dining room floor.” A single spent casing was found beneath a four-wheel scooter in the home’s dining room.
When police talked to Barnes’ children, they immediately assumed that their cousin had been the one to kill their father. Barnes’ son told officers that Mincey had been talking about buying an AR-style rifle; Mincey allegedly said that “he wanted it because he thought there was a zombie apocalypse and wanted to be ready.”
First responders at the scene described Mincey as “mumbling and not making coherent statements,” and called paramedics to evaluate him because of his “difficulty breathing and inability to remain standing.” He refused to be taken to a hospital.
In an interview with detectives after he was taken into custody, Mincey denied any memory from the last two days. “When confronted with the fact that his uncle had been shot and that Dale was located inside the residence holding the PA 15 rifle, Dale stated repeatedly he ‘didn’t know what happened’ and ‘couldn’t remember anything.'”
Mincey’s cousins, meanwhile, said they had no knowledge of the defendant having any memory problems and said he was capable of carrying on intelligent conversations. He would frequently talk to them, they said, and three to four times a year would discuss zombie preparedness, including “topics such as best places to go and weapons to use.”
In their discussions with officers, both Moye and Mincey denied any tension in the house. Moye claimed that her son had expressed fear of his uncle in the last few days, but Mincey told police the family rarely interacted. Barnes’ kids, meanwhile, told police that he had wanted to evict his nephew from his home for the past two years, citing unhygienic behavior that included “peeing in bottles and bags, leaving urine in the room, not showering for days, and when he could make it to the toilet, he would make a mess.”
Andre Barnes was killed at a home he shared with his sister and nephew. (Google Maps)
Investigators said that Mincey had initially moved into his uncle’s home for what was supposed to be six months. At the end of that period, Mincey suffered a heart attack. As he recovered, Barnes continually wanted to remove him from the home, his children told police. By the end of 2025, “each time the discussion was brought up, there would be another health scare, and it would go off the table,” Barnes’ children said. “It was a constant conversation among the family, and it was widely known that Andre did not want Dale at the house.”
Mincey was taken into custody immediately on outstanding warrants out of Broward County relating to stolen property; officers say that when they went through his phone, they found evidence that led them to arrest his mother.
A series of videos recorded on Mincey’s phone, each approximately 42 to 50 minutes long, was dated from the day before the shooting. In the videos, Mincey is seen holding a rifle pointed toward the doorway of a room in the house; Moye, who is recording the videos, occasionally appears and holds a gun as well. In those videos, police said, the two made a series of disturbing statements.
Mincey: “You have to let me kill him.”
Moye: “I’m not supposed to have anything in my ears?”
Moye: “It’s not gonna hurt me?”
Mincey: “You’ll be fine without the earbuds.”
Mincey: “I have to do this so I can sleep.”
Investigators said those statements led them to file charges against Moye for allegedly lying to first responders about her involvement in the case. In a news conference following her arrest, investigators said more charges may be filed.
Mincey is being held in the St. Lucie County jail without bond; Moye was released on $2,500 bond shortly after her arrest this week.
