A Durango man suspected of fatally shooting another man last month south of Durango has been arrested on suspicion of motor vehicle theft, but no charges have been filed in connection with the shooting death, according to court records.
Justin Brown, 34, is accused of fatally shooting Randall Moon, 53, on Dec. 20 at 719 Rancho Durango, according to court records.
Three people were in the house at the time of the shooting, according to the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office.
Brown is suspected of stealing Moon’s vehicle after shooting and killing him, according to an arrest affidavit.
The affidavit details a rocky relationship between the two men.
Law enforcement interviewed Brown, Brown’s girlfriend, Moon’s girlfriend and multiple family members and friends of Moon after the shooting.
“Through these interviews I learned that Randall and Justin have had a tumultuous relationship, involving multiple alleged instances of Justin stealing from Randall including the theft of a skidsteer in South Carolina, and the sale of a generator worth $5,000 in Oklahoma,” deputy Brian Harrison wrote in his affidavit.
Moon owned several firearms and a 2021 Ford F-350 pickup, according to the report.
During the course of their homicide investigation, investigators warned Brown not to take any of Moon’s property without first receiving permission from Moon’s brother and next of kin.
Yet, two days after the shooting death, investigators were informed that Brown was in possession of Moon’s pickup.
Investigators located Brown and arrested him on suspicion of vehicular theft. During the arrest, Brown told law enforcement he was in possession of several of Moon’s guns, but refused to say where they were located.
Investigators contacted Brown’s girlfriend, who was staying at a Durango hotel. She informed investigators that several firearms were in the hotel room where she and Justin had been staying. She agreed to allow investigators to search the hotel room, where investigators recovered three firearms, according to the affidavit.
The Sheriff’s Office has declined to release any additional information about the shooting death.
“Evidence collected from the scene has been submitted to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for testing,” a Sheriff’s Office spokesman wrote in an email to The Durango Herald.
Formal charges in the theft case are expected to be filed Monday in La Plata County Combined Courts.
shane@durangoherald.com
