Father of slain Fort Smith store clerk asks for prayers for her four children

A gunman took his daughter's life while she worked as a convenience store clerk in Fort Smith.

Her father, Charles Moore, says he still feels like he is in a dream since taking the call from police late Friday where detectives found Chanell Moore, 26, dead of a gunshot wound at Doug's Eastside Convenience Corner, 9017 Rogers Ave.

Moore, 54, of Greenwood, is now a single granddad raising Avery Jr.,4, Moriah, 4, Jace, 3, and Karisma, 5 months old.

The children do not yet know what happened to their mother, Charles Moore said.

More: Search for store clerk killer continues in Fort Smith

During what police called an aggravated robbery and homicide at the store about 10:15 p.m. Friday, Moore was fatally shot. The shooter fled.

Almost a week after her death, Moriah continued to ask if her mother was still at work, Charles Moore said. He told her she was, not ready to tell her what happened. Jace usually stays awake until his mother came home from work, sometimes as late as 3 a.m. He's adjusting to falling asleep without her.

"Moriah asks now and then if momma is still at work," Charles Moore said. "I tell her, 'Yes she is still at work. She will be back. She's at work."

Moriah looked at a photo of Chanell in the living room and said, "That's my momma," Charles Moore said.

"I know she knows something is going on because she, (Moriah) hasn't seen her (Chanell) and she is okay with it as long as we have her mind occupied.

He said the children need prayer.

"I want them to have a normal life. One day, when the day comes, I pray to God that God will tell me, to give me a sign on when the proper time will be to let them know what happened," Charles Moore said. "I do know that now is not the time."

"They (children) are the ones who need the prayer. They're the ones who need the answers. They're the ones who need the love."

He said he has appreciated support from the community and his employer Pernod Ricard in Fort Smith.

"It's going to be a struggle," Charles Moore said. "But as long as I keep God in my prayers and in my life it will get better."

He said he has to be strong now for the children.

"God has a plan," Charles Moore said. "I don't know what it is. But God has a plan."

He plans to drive to Hope, Arkansas to see his daughter at the funeral home one last time. A funeral is pending under the direction of Hicks Funeral Home. She will be buried at Corinth Baptist Church Cemetery in Tollette, Arkansas in Hempstead County located in the southwest part of the state. Charles Moore said his family is from the area and other family members are buried there.

"Now that this has happened I really, really need to focus and put my life in the hands of God," Charles Moore said.

He said the children need prayer more than anything else.

"Pray that they can have a normal life. It's not going to be easy when that day comes when me or somebody will have to tell them what happened. And when that day comes, it will never be a perfect time," Charles Moore said.

"But for now I want them just to have a normal life. And I try to keep their minds occupied as much as possible. It's pretty horrible."

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Father of slain store clerk talks about the children she leaves behind