Shots in Night Bring Silence to a Home of Constant Prayer

Pauline Moore was known as the “Prayer Warrior” at the Carlin Avenue Foursquare Church in Lynwood because of her eagerness to pray for anyone in need of help.

Mrs. Moore, a 53-year-old Compton grandmother, rarely missed the church’s twice-weekly prayer meetings, where she was known to pray regularly for family, friends, co-workers--and her next door neighbors.

“There was activity and stuff going on at her neighbors’ house,” said Sarah Hackett, who leads the prayer sessions and often called on Mrs. Moore as a substitute. “Her ministry was prayer, so she always prayed for her neighbors.”

Early Sunday morning, Mrs. Moore was killed when her home was riddled with more than a dozen bullets as she went to answer the front door. Police said the shooting was probably meant for someone else--most likely someone in the house next door, described by neighbors and police as a well-known center for drug dealing.

“They possibly got the wrong house,” said Compton Police Detective Catherine Chavers.

She added that investigators have been unable to find any other motive for the shooting.

Most of the bullets hit the front door of Mrs. Moore’s olive-green stucco house in the 1500 block of 163rd Street, an area neighbors said is plagued by drug and gang problems.

Mrs. Moore and her daughter, Cynthia, were awakened about 3:20 a.m. by what Cynthia told police sounded like someone knocking. Mrs. Moore never opened the door, asking only, “Who is it?” police said. At that point, the gunmen--perhaps two--emptied what police believe were semiautomatic weapons at the house.

Mrs. Moore, a technician at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, was struck in the upper legs and lower abdomen at least four times, police said. She died about 45 minutes later at Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center in South-Central Los Angeles.

An Inevitable Event

“One of the neighbors said that nothing is going to change at that rock house until somebody got killed,” said one nearby resident, who would not give his name. “Well it happened, but it happened at the wrong house.”

Detective Al Preston said narcotics officers have made several raids at the alleged rock house this year, but he did not have any details. Preston said one resident of the house denied that anyone living there had anything to do with the fatal shooting.

Cynthia Moore, 28, who was not hurt, remained secluded in her home Sunday afternoon with her four sisters and brother. Pauline Moore also leaves five grandchildren.

Sherry Lee, Pauline Moore’s eldest daughter, said Cynthia was too distraught to talk with reporters.

Lee said that her mother was not afraid to live in the neighborhood.

“My mother was a born-again Christian and she believed and trusted in the Lord,” Lee said. “She was everybody’s mother. We don’t know why this has happened to our mother, but we don’t have hate in our hearts. We know that the Lord sees and knows all.”

Neighbors said Mrs. Moore had lived on 163rd Street since 1977, basically keeping to herself but always greeting passers-by with a wave or friendly smile.

She loved to care for roses, geraniums and other flowers that she had planted along the walkway to her front door and a chain-link fence that runs along the sidewalk. Her carport is cluttered with an old stove, washing machine and other odds and ends, but her flowers were always watered and trimmed, neighbors said.

At church, the “Prayer Warrior” was loved by both young and old.

Congregation member Marcus Jackson said Mrs. Moore was the person youths turned to when they needed someone to talk to.

Another member, Marvin Beck, described Mrs. Moore as “a super-duper encouraging lady,” who was there when you needed her.

Pastor Paul Hackett said Mrs. Moore was a woman who moved others because of her deep faith.

“She was a precious part of our congregation,” he said.

Police said they are investigating the possibility that the shooting may be related to violence several hours earlier two blocks away in the 1200 block of South Cliveden Avenue. In that incident, 24-year-old Richard Alexander was shot in the head at close range in a drug-related argument, police said.

Alexander was in critical condition Sunday afternoon at Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center.