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Background: News footage of the home where Reuben Arthur Leonard allegedly opened fire on his neighbors (WLTX). Inset left: Ashley McFarland (GoFundMe). Inset right: Reuben Arthur Leonard (Sumter County Sheriff’s Office).
A South Carolina man allegedly shot and killed a 11-year-old girl at his neighbor’s house, where he intended to “kill everybody” inside, according to police.
Reuben Arthur Leonard, 80, was charged with murder after he allegedly shot his wife, 76-year-old Felicia Leonard, and an 11-year-old girl, Ashly McFarland. In a Facebook post, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said that officers responded to reports of a shooting at a home in Sumter, a city around 45 miles east of Columbia, at 10:32 p.m. on the night of April 16. Witnesses reportedly identified Leonard as the man who entered his neighbors’ home and began “firing a weapon.”
According to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Leonard was reportedly disgruntled about his neighbors shooting targets in their yard and repeatedly complained to police. Days after making a recent complaint, Leonard allegedly went into his neighbors’ home and opened fire.
Sumter County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Hampton Gardner said at a press conference that Leonard was wielding an assault rifle and carrying a second weapon when he entered the residence, “home invasion style.” According to Gardner, Leonard “struck and killed” Ashly, who died “instantly.”
According to an online fundraiser, Ashly’s father was “also hit stopping [the] attacker from shooting others.” Other family members at the neighbors’ house reportedly tackled Leonard to the ground and restrained him until authorities arrived.
At the press conference, Gardner stated that there were “10 or 11 people” inside the home, and Leonard’s intentions were “to kill everybody at that residence.” He added that it was “unprovoked, senseless, and something like this should never occur.”
When officers got to the scene, Leonard allegedly told them that he also shot and killed his wife, who was found dead of a gunshot wound in the Leonards’ garage.
In an earlier statement, Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said, “This is a horrific incident, and our investigators are working diligently to uncover all the details.”
When asked about a motive for the alleged shooting, Gardner told the press that Leonard had been calling the police on his neighbors for a “few weeks” because “the people on Floyd Drive were target practicing in their backyard.” He confirmed that they weren’t breaking any laws, and that they were “nowhere near” Leonard’s property. Gardner stated that no other neighbors complained about the target practice.
After confronting his neighbors several times and calling the police on them, Leonard was charged with breach of peace on April 14, according to reporting by local NBC affiliate WIS.
Gardner said that Leonard’s motive for the alleged murder of his wife was not clear. He stated during the press conference that Leonard was not suffering from dementia or any other mental illness.
Leonard was taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries from being restrained by his neighbors and was eventually booked into Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center. He was charged with several felonies, including two counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder. During his first court appearance on April 18, a judge ordered that he be held without bond due to the severity of the charges. He reportedly has another hearing set for June 6.
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