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He beats bullet, but hard part lies ahead

By THOMAS LAKE
Published February 19, 2007

Sweat bathed Terrance Moore's brow as he stared through the glass of an interview room, lamenting the hole in his chest.

The room was not unusually hot. The sweat collected on Moore's cheeks, parallel to a row of gleaming golden teeth. His hands were bound.

"Can't even wipe the sweat off my face," said Moore, 33, of Tarpon Springs.

Pasco County sheriff's Detective Mark Ewald sat next to him, recording Moore's interview with a reporter. He got up, left and came back with some brown paper towels.

He stood over Moore and wiped his face dry.

"You can take the cuffs off," Moore said. "I ain't gonna attack you."

Ewald did not remove the cuffs. Moore was accused of attacking two of his fellow deputies. Authorities say the attack is the reason Moore was shot.

Moore, who was born in Clearwater, is a career criminal who told a reporter recently he has about 12 children by about nine different women.

On Feb. 8, he drove to Port Richey to speak to his lawyer. Two detectives followed him, believing he had drugs and an active warrant. They were waiting when he came outside.

Moore started his Chevy Suburban and put it in gear. The detectives closed in. He recognized one of them as Abe Carmack, who had arrested him before on a drug charge.

This is what happened next, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office:

Moore smashed the Suburban into a Crown Victoria, injuring the detective inside, and accelerated toward Carmack, who was standing outside his car. Carmack shot Moore in the chest, possibly saving his own life.

This is what happened next, according to Moore:

He backed up. He accidentally hit something with his vehicle, though he didn't know what. And then Carmack shot him.

But when pressed on the question of whether he'd tried to run Carmack down, he said, "If I did, I don't remember. And I doubt I would have did that."

Moore was being held without bail at the Pasco County jail in Land O'Lakes last week on charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, driving with a suspended or revoked license and contempt of court.

It was unclear how being shot would affect his health. He said a doctor removed the bullet Feb. 10.

The shooting is the subject of as many as four investigations - by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the State Attorney's Office, and two by the Sheriff's Office.

At first, Moore said the deputies had no good reason to stop him, but then he admitted he was driving without a license - and with illegal drugs.

"A little marijuana," he said. "Not even a joint."

He laughed.

"That's a misdemeanor, man," he said. "I could do that time standing on my head."

Without a word, Ewald reached over and mopped Moore's brow.

[Last modified February 18, 2007, 21:50:33]