Ranger Shot at Buford Dam Park Is ID'd

By Scott Bernarde

Gwinnett County Police have identified the ranger who was shot near Buford Dam Park on Wednesday evening, June 26.

Police spokesman Cpl. Jake Smith said in an email media alert Thursday afternoon that U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ranger D.P. Wright, 70, was in the hospital and expected to survive his injuries.

Wright was shot in the abdomen at the Lower Overlook area of Buford Dam Park, located on the southern end of Lake Lanier. Wright’s condition was not released, nor which hospital was caring for him.

The suspected shooter, Qiana Moore, 34, of Woodstock, was found dead in a car nearby from an apparent gunshot wound, according to Smith’s report. A handgun was found in the car, and detectives believe it was a suicide.

Smith said Moore may have targeted Wright as part of a possible “suicide by cop,” though detectives “have not concluded that this was the case.”

Wright was unarmed.

Smith’s emailed alert said Wright was able to tell police what happened before he was taken to the hospital.

Wright was in the process of closing the park around 10 p.m. Wednesday when he approached a car with a woman in the driver’s seat to tell her the park was closed. He told police the woman then shot him once in the abdomen.

Moore matched the the description given by Wright.