A dispute among neighbors reportedly led to the tragic death of a young girl and a disturbing discovery in Sumter, South Carolina. Eighty-year-old Reuben Arthur Leonard allegedly broke into his neighbor’s home and started firing his AR-15. There were 10 or 11 people inside and a bullet hit 11-year-old Ashly McFarland. As the other members of the family worked to subdue him, witnesses say his bullets struck another relative.
Once they had disarmed and restrained Leonard, they called law enforcement and paramedics, but unfortunately, they were too late to save the little girl. Paramedics pronounced Ashly dead at the scene. But Ashly wasn’t the only person who died.
Leonard was mad his neighbors kept hosting target practice in the backyard.
According to Sumter County investigators, Leonard was upset with his neighbors for weeks because they had been having target practice in the backyard, WLTX reports. Leonard had called the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office multiple times to report the family. But since the target practice is legal, authorities couldn’t force them to stop.
So, Leonard took matters into his own hands, allegedly breaking into his neighbors’ home and opening fire. Chief Deputy Hampton Gardner with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, said investigators believe Leonard planned to kill everyone in the home.
Police had already arrested and released Leonard days before the violent rampage.
After his arrest, officers took Leonard to the hospital where medics treated him for his injuries. As authorities were booking Leonard, police say he confessed to murdering his wife minutes before he killed Ashly McFarland, People reports. Officers went to perform a check of Leonard’s home and found his wife, 76-year-old Felicia Leonard, dead in the couple’s garage.
Authorities are still investigating the motive for Felicia’s death. Even before the deaths of Felicia and Ashly, Leonard had been a menace. Court records show that two days before the killings, authorities had arrested Leonard on a breach of peace count.
‘She was a bright and joyful student,’ the Sumter School District wrote about Ashly.
Now, a family and community are left to heal from the aftermath of this elderly man’s alleged actions. The Sumter School District released this statement about Ashly’s death that reads: “She was a bright and joyful student who made a lasting impact on her classmates, teachers, and school community. Her passing is a heartbreaking loss, and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with her family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
The district has committed to providing grief counseling to students and staff affected by Ashly’s passing.
Leonard did not speak during his initial hearing.
Leonard now faces two counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder and several other charges, WLTX reports. During his hearing, Leonard did not speak. A judge informed him that due to the severity of Leonard’s charges, he could not set bond. Leonard’s next hearing on June 6.
In response to the tragedy, the family has launched a GoFundMe. The fundraiser, which Ashly’s great uncle started, states the family needs support for Ashly’s grandfather and additional financial assistance because they are not allowed in their home at the moment.
