ST. LUCIE COUNTY – A second arrest was made on July 14 in the fatal shooting of Andre Leonard Barnes, 66, of Fort Pierce on July 7, Sheriff Richard Del Toro announced at a briefing.

Karen Dale Moye, 61, who Del Toro identified as the mother of suspect Dale Andrew Mincey, 41, and sister of the victim, Andre Leonard Barnes, 66, is in the St. Lucie County Jail as of July 14 on a $2,500 bond for making a false report/giving false information to a law enforcement officer, which is a felony, according to the jail web site.

Mincey was charged on July 11 with first-degree, premeditated murder for shooting Barnes at the home the three apparently shared in the 2700 block of Essex Drive, Fort Pierce on July 7. He is in the jail on no bond for that charge.

At about 3:30 p.m., July 7, officers responded to the address following reports of a person suffering from a gunshot wound. Upon arrival, deputies learned that Mincey allegedly shot another man, later identified as Barnes, with a rifle.

Deputies immediately took Mincey into custody and began providing emergency medical care to Barnes until St. Lucie County Fire District personnel arrived. Barnes was then taken to a local hospital for treatment where he later died.

Barnes was an art teacher at Samuel S. Gaines Academy of Emerging Technologies in Fort Pierce since 2017.

Del Toro said that since this remains an active investigation, he could not give specifics about what led to Moye’s arrest, but said that “we uncovered quite a bit of evidence through electronic forensics and that’s what led us to the charge. Based on the videos that we uncovered, I don’t want to get too much into it, but clearly there was a plan in place to take this person’s life. We obviously feel like (Moye) provided false information to our detectives … which led us to also the premeditated charge,”

“Providing false information intentionally or withholding information during a homicide investigation is a serious criminal offense,” Del Toro said. “It obviously delays justice, it diverts our investigative resources, and it can impact the family’s ability to receive answers.”

In a heavily redacted arrest affidavit, Mincey’s mother, who told investigators that, although she did not see the shooting, Mincey must have shot his uncle and indicated that Mincey was sitting at the kitchen table inside the home and that Barnes was lying near the front door.

Mincey, when questioned by investigators, was described as “mumbling and not making coherent statements,” according to the arrest affidavit.

Mincey told investigators that his last memory was going to sleep two days before the incident and then just recently waking up in a police van. He referenced a blackout he had in 2017 where he said he lost four days of memory, according to the arrest affidavit.

He could speak coherently about other subjects but was rambling and made confusing statements when asked about the shooting, according to the arrest affidavit. He did tell investigators that he was concerned that Barnes might try to harm him and that his mother said Mincey stayed up all night the day before the shooting to watch Barnes, according to the arrest affidavit.

He also told investigators that he bought an AR-15 style rifle because “he thought that there was going to be a zombie apocalypse and he wanted to be ready,” according to the arrest affidavit.

Del Toro said that the shooting was not spur-of-the-moment. “We don’t know what led up to this but this was a pre-meditated case,” Del Toro said. A motive for the shooting has not yet been determined.

Mincey was first being held at the St. Lucie County Jail on out-of-county warrants for Broward County for dealing in stolen property and giving false information to a pawnbroker, with bonds totaling $4,500.

A Celebration of Life for Barnes is being finalized, Barnes’ daughter, Victoria Barnes, wrote on her Facebook page. She is asking that anyone who would like to share artwork; pictures, videos or other tributes regarding her father can send those to an email, AndreBarnesArt@gmail.com.

“We hope to be able to incorporate his artwork or artwork from his students into his celebration of life,” she wrote in her posting. “If you are comfortable with these works, tributes or kind words being shared publicly at the service, please indicate your preference in the subject line of the email saying either PUBLIC or PRIVATE.”