By Shavonne Walker
shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Weeks after his arrest in the shooting death of Patrick DeShawn Clark near Taco Bell, his accused killer is indicted by a Rowan County grand jury on a lesser offense.

Tariq Khalid Mosley Jr., 20, was charged Nov. 8 with murder and most recently the grand jury returned a true bill of indictment for voluntary manslaughter. The lesser offense comes after probable cause evidence was presented to the jury by the Rowan County District Attorney’s Office.

The grand jury’s decision essentially establishes that there is evidence to say a crime was committed, that the person in question committed it and the case can move forward.

Voluntary manslaughter in its simplest terms means the offender had no prior intent to kill.

The shooting occurred Friday, Nov. 3 outside Taco Bell on East Innes Street. Salisbury Police responded to the area after shots were fired. Police say according to witnesses, Clark, 30, ran into a neighboring tobacco shop and collapsed.

Police officials also said both Mosley and Clark were outside cars when the shooting happened, and the incident was not a drive-by shooting. Authorities have said very little about the shooting. However, the Salisbury Post did obtain search warrants that were issued the day after the murder.

The warrant, which was signed by a local magistrate, was issued to Salisbury Police Detective J.B. Hill. The warrant details that when police arrived, Patrick Clark appeared to be suffering from at least one gunshot wound and he was inside FT Tobacco at 618-A East Innes St. He was taken to the hospital and later died.

Officers found six spent shell casings in the parking lot of Taco Bell, 602 E. Innes St., located right beside the tobacco shop. Detectives spoke with an employee of the tobacco shop who said he was working when he heard gunshots. He said Clark came into the store and said he’d been shot by “Tay” and then he fell to the ground.

The employee said he knew a Tay and said Tay had been in the store shortly before the gunshots. The employee said he knew Clark had accused Tay of breaking into his residence, the search warrant said.

The detective also reviewed the surveillance video from the tobacco store, which showed the person the employee named inside the store before the shooting. No other details were noted in the search warrant.

Mosley remains in the Rowan County Detention Center under a $125,000 secured bond. This was the city’s ninth murder.

Mosley is expected to be arraigned at the next scheduled Dec. 25 court hearing. During that hearing he will declare whether he intends to plead guilty or not guilty, will be advised formally of the charges and his bond will be set by the judge. He is represented by Salisbury Attorney Pete Hoffman.

Contact reporter Shavonne Walker at 704-797-4253.