Aspiring pro boxer killed as police search for suspect in Pleasant Grove shooting

Aspiring pro boxer killed as police search for suspect

Community members are mourning the loss of 25-year-old amateur boxer Matt Moore, who was shot and killed Sunday afternoon at a Pleasant Grove apartment complex with no suspects yet identified.

PLEASANT GROVE, Texas - A 25-year-old boxer was a regular at a Rockwall faith-based boxing gym and now the owner of that gym says they’re leaning heavily on that faith during these trying times.

Investigation into fatal shooting

What we know:

Dedicated boxers train inside Chapa’s Boxing Gym in Rockwall, but Matt Moore may have been the most dedicated. The 25-year-old amateur boxer hoped to turn passion into a career.

Now, inside the gym, you’ll only find pictures and keepsakes of Moore.

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Moore was found dead around 4:15 p.m., near a stairwell of an apartment complex off South Murdeaux Ln in Pleasant Grove. The Dallas Police Department has not publicly identified a suspect or motive.

Moore leaves behind a 5-year-old daughter.

Legacy in and out of the ring

What they're saying:

Pete Chapa cannot believe his friend and mentee was shot-and-killed on Sunday afternoon.

Pete Chapa

"To know that I have memories now, and he’s not here," said Chapa. "Of course, you want to know what happened. You want to know why."

Chapa says Moore drove an hour each way to come and box, sometimes coming twice a day to train.

"His world revolved around his daughter and boxing," said Chapa. "Yeah, the unknown is what’s hard, right, because Matt was not somebody who ran in the circles of something like this happening."

Chapa tells FOX 4's David Sentendrey that Moore was training to be a professional boxer and winning a world title.

"We had talked about winning national championships in the amateurs and then moving on to the professional ranks and trying to win a world title," he said. "The leader that he truly was is that he has a legacy of helping young people become better every day."