Gov. Stein offers reward for info in Gastonia barber’s killing
A new cash reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of whoever shot and killed a 32-year-old man at his Gastonia home five years ago.
Gov. Josh Stein said the person who provides that information could receive $25,000 and provide John Luke Moore’s family closure. A $9,000 reward was already being offered, so the total reward is now $34,000.
“We must use every tool at our disposal to pursue justice for victims,” said Stein in a press release late last month.
Moore, a barber, was shot and killed at his home on Allison Avenue on July 26, 2021, according to authorities. Footage from that night posted by Gastonia police on social media in July showed three people breaking and entering Moore’s home, and then later fleeing.
Moore, the youngest of four boys, was a father to a 15-year-old boy, John Moore Jr. Family have described Moore Sr. as a “light” and someone who wanted people to live their lives to the fullest. He was an athlete in school, playing T-ball, football and basketball.
He dreamed of being a barber and owning his own barbershop, family said in interviews with The Charlotte Observer in August. Eventually, people would come from as far away as Lancaster, South Carolina, to get their hair cut by Moore.
“Not only did you rob a family, you took a father away from their son, who is just now a teenager,” Moore’s brother, Stephan Moore said in August. “Those critical moments in their life where you need that father figure to be there to talk through those moments.”
Anyone with information should contact the Gastonia Police Department (704) 866-6890 or the State Bureau of Investigation (919) 662-4500, Stein’s office said.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Jan. 6 to clarify the total reward amount.
This story was originally published January 5, 2026 at 2:56 PM.
