Dale A. Mincey, 41, was formally charged with first-degree murder Saturday in connection with the death of his uncle, Andre Leonard Barnes, 66. Mincey remains in custody at the St. Lucie County Jail and is being held without bond.
The fatal shooting happened July 7 at a residence on the 2700 block of Essex Drive. Deputies responded to the home at around 3:30 p.m. after receiving reports of a person with a gunshot wound. When deputies arrived, they learned a man had shot another man with a rifle.
Barnes was taken to a local hospital, where he died. During questioning, Mincey told detectives he could not recall what happened the day of the shooting and that he didn't have any issues with Barnes and did not know how Barnes died, an arrest affidavit said. However, he admitted to owning two firearms.
Karen Moye, Barnes' sister and Mincey's mother, was also at the home when the shooting occurred. She heard a loud bang while she was in the bathroom and came out to find Mincey and called police, an arrest affidavit said. Moye is also facing charges in this fatal shooting, which deputies said was premeditated.
Sheriff Richard Del Toro said Tuesday during a press conference that Moye knowingly provided false information to investigators and withheld pertinent information related to the homicide investigation. She has been charged with false report to law enforcement and the commission of a capital felony. Barnes worked as an art teacher for the St. Lucie County School District since 2017, serving at West Gate K-8 and Samuel S.
Gaines Academy. Barnes leaves behind three adult children.