School's Out

The First 48

In Mobile, Alabama, detectives investigate the daylight shooting of 20-year-old Zachary Cortez Mose, known as 'Dobie B.' The investigation e

Key takeaways

• The victim, Zachary Cortez Mose, was an electrical apprentice in Mobile.
• Detectives recovered both .40 caliber and 9mm casings from the crime scene.

Main topics

• Homicide investigation
• Gun violence in Mobile

Notable quotes

He was developing into a real good young man.

Conclusion

The episode serves as a somber look at how impulsive teenage violence

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:03) And now, an A &E original podcast produced by Crime House. We're in Mobile, Alabama. A young man's family has lost him in a tragic crime. They think about the person he was and what they've lost. Speaker 6 (0:21) That's when I was in daycare. His sister was his keeper. She didn't care what it was Zachary did. She was there. Once you meet him, he leaves an impression on you. They just pulled over to the side and just started dancing. Speaker 4 (0:39) He enjoyed just having fun and doing what he was doing. Speaker 6 (0:43) Yes. Speaker 4 (0:44) We were proud of him. He was developing into a real good young man. And he was just taking. The way I found out about it was I seen it broadcast on the news. and seeing my son laying on the ground. I relived that day over and over and over. Speaker 3 (1:13) One year earlier, on a morning at 1147 in Mobile, Alabama, somebody calls 911. Speaker 4 (1:22) What's the emergency? Speaker 7 (1:24) My homer, he's right out in the street right now. Oh, we need some help, please. They start suing us and we start running. Speaker 6 (1:33) Is the person who shot him Bill nearby? I don't know. We walked to the store. Are you with the patient now? Yeah, his name. Is he awake? No, ma'am, he dead. Speaker 3 (1:49) For homicide detectives, their chance of solving a murder is cut in half if they don't get a lead within the first 48 hours. Welcome to The First 48, presented by A &E Global Media, ITV America, and Crime House Studios. Adapted from the hit TV show, every episode features a high-stakes homicide investigation and the critical hours that define it. Today's episode brings us to Mobile, Alabama, where a young man dies in a mysterious shooting. But as investigators dig deeper, they realize the motive was a teenage beef that threatens to affect multiple lives forever. A note, this program documents actual homicide investigations. Criminal charges are often dropped or reduced. And all suspects covered on this podcast are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. In some episodes, certain details have been changed to protect the identities of witnesses or the integrity of the investigation. Listener discretion is advised. This case is called Schools Out. Speaker 6 (3:11) For many of us, going further isn't a choice. It's a feeling we can't ignore. Because ambition has a way of outgrowing where it began. Turning dreams into direction. Every journey brings us closer to the life we imagine. So, where will your journey take you? Etihad. Beyond Borders. Speaker 3 (3:43) After that 911 call comes in, Detective Riley Stewart Jr. of Mobile Homicide is on the case. Speaker 5 (3:50) We're at the DA's office actually speaking with them in reference to another murder, trying to secure a warrant in reference to a case that we've wrapped up. And while we're sitting there, we have another homicide. Speaker 3 (4:02) Stewart arrives on the scene. The victim's body is lying on the curb outside a house in a residential neighborhood. His hat is on the ground. alongside his phone and what looks like a credit card. The area has already been taped off, with news crews and bystanders watching on. Lieutenant Charles Bagsby of Mobile Homicide catches Stewart up on what the team knows so far. Speaker 2 (4:28) What's up? All right, victim's lane guys, Zachary Cortez Mose. Speaker 3 (4:33) 20-year-old Zachary Cortez Mose, known to friends as Doe B., was born in Mobile. After finding work as an electrical apprentice a year ago, Doby quickly earned the title of electrician. He leaves behind his mother, father, brother, and sister. Speaker 2 (4:53) He has GSW to the Speaker 3 (4:54) head. GSW means gunshot wound. Apparently he was, at the time of the shooting, he was walking. Two of Doby's friends who were on scene when detectives arrived said they were walking to his house when someone fired shots at them. Speaker 2 (5:09) And none shooting back? No. Speaker 2 (5:13) The two friends Speaker 3 (5:17) have been transported to homicide. Speaker 2 (5:24) In front Speaker 5 (5:30) of Speaker 3 (5:32) Doby's house are 12 .40 caliber and 11 9mm casings. Detective Jermaine Rogers talks about the scene. Speaker 6 (5:43) For that many shots, they only hit one person and missed the other two guys. It's crazy. You gotta be bold to do it in the daytime. Speaker 2 (5:53) 55 Speaker 3 (5:54) minutes in, they decide to canvas the area. Speaker 2 (6:01) Apparently there's a guy up here who said he saw everything happening. Don't go up there. The next corner. Speaker 3 (6:06) Stewart talks to the witness. Nice to meet you, McDonnell. Speaker 7 (6:10) Explain to me what happened. The witness Speaker 3 (6:17) says that as he turned onto the street, he saw two guys walking with hoods covering their heads. Speaker 7 (6:24) Black guys, white guys? Speaker 3 (6:31) He says he saw guns in their hands. Speaker 7 (6:36) Right. Okay. How many shots you heard? Speaker 5 (7:20) Two Speaker 3 (7:23) hours in, as detectives wrap up the scene. Speaker 2 (7:34) The team Speaker 3 (7:35) will attempt to download any video and bring it to homicide. Speaker 2 (8:03) Yeah. Speaker 5 (8:05) Right now, we kind of got chaos, but we're going to make some ends of it momentarily. Speaker 3 (8:10) Two and a half hours in, back at headquarters, Glenn Barton and Julius Nettles interview one of Doby's friends who survived the shooting. Speaker 2 (8:20) He says Speaker 3 (8:27) they were going to the store to get some cigarettes. Speaker 7 (8:37) What's up? Speaker 7 (8:51) He Speaker 3 (8:52) crosses his hands in front of himself to show the detectives how they passed each other. Speaker 7 (8:57) He says when Speaker 3 (9:06) they turned back to Dobie's house, the two gunmen were walking towards them. Speaker 7 (9:24) He Speaker 3 (9:25) says after the gunshots stopped, their other friend said Dobie was on the ground and he was gone. Speaker 7 (9:43) The guy that you saw? What about the other thing that you saw? Let's take a minute shot for you, okay? Speaker 3 (10:22) Three hours and 12 minutes in, detectives interview Dobie's friends that called 911. Speaker 5 (10:29) I'm Detective Stewart, man. It's my partner, Detective Rogers. Speaker 6 (10:56) He says Doby Speaker 3 (10:59) had broken his wrist after falling out of an attic at work. Speaker 6 (11:03) Gasser, Speaker 3 (11:03) explain to me what went on today. Speaker 6 (11:05) I didn't see them get hit or nothing. I just know it. I said, don't be down, fool. He said, we can't leave. I'm like, don't be. Wake up. Speaker 5 (11:15) How many guns you heard? I Speaker 6 (11:16) heard two of them got a gun. I said, I see both of them shoot. I feel like I probably got hit, too.