Identities of 11-year-old girl, 76-year-old woman released; Sumter sheriff's office details timeline leading up to and during Floyd Drive fatal shooting

On the afternoon of Thursday, April 17, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office held a news conference after the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old girl and 76-year-old woman on Wednesday evening. 

At around 10:30 p.m. at a Floyd Drive residence, Reuben Arthur Leonard, 80, entered the home, as Chief Deputy Hampton Gardner described, in a “home invasion” manner and opened fire using an assault rifle on approximately 10 residents inside. An 11-year-old female was said to have been in a front room of the home during the shooting. She was pronounced dead on scene from a gunshot wound, according to the agency. 

Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker later identified her as Ashly McFarland. 

Gardner said the agency responded to the residence several times due to complaints from Leonard, who lived behind the woodline behind Floyd Drive, about residents doing target practice in the backyard. On Monday, April 14, Leonard was charged with breach of peace and Gardner confirmed it was in reference to the ongoing dispute between him and residents at the home on Floyd Drive. 

According to Gardner, Sheriff Anthony Dennis spoke with Leonard on Wednesday evening about coming out to speak with everyone to resolve the issue. Dennis told Leonard that if the issue persisted that night to call 911 or Dennis directly.

There were no alleged target practice shootings on Wednesday evening, Gardner said. 

On Wednesday night, according to an incident report by the responding deputy, Leonard was captured on a Ring camera outside the Floyd Drive home. A woman lying in bed at the time heard five gunshots and then a male voice say, "I told you sons of b------- I was coming back to kill you" and the suspect running down the hallway. The woman saw her husband jump on the suspect to subdue him, after which the deputy found them in the bathroom of the residence, according to the report.

McFarland, the granddaughter of the homeowners, was lying on the couch before the shooting, and the responding deputy found her with multiple gunshot wounds on the living room floor being helped by family members.

According to the report, Leonard ignored commands by deputies, and as they tried to gain control over him, "he attempted to reach for a pistol he had holstered on his hip." The handgun was recovered on Leonard in the bathroom, Gardner said. Deputies also observed injuries to Leonard, and he was taken to a local hospital. Gardner did not confirm if those injuries were self-inflicted. 

Leonard told deputies he had also shot his 76-year-old wife, Mrs. Felicia Leonard. According to the report, while he was being taken to an ambulance, he said, "Check on my wife. I shot her, too." She was found in the garage of their Saltwood Drive home and pronounced dead, Gardner said. Sumter Police Department is investigating that shooting. 

There is a 100-yard difference between Floyd Drive and Leonard’s residence along Saltwood Drive; he walked through the woodline to get to the Floyd Drive home, according to the sheriff’s office.

Leonard was released from the hosptial Thursday afternoon, according to the sheriff's office. He was charged with two counts of murder, seven counts of attempted murder, two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime and one count of first-degree burglary, according to public records. 

Gardner described the shooting as “unprovoked” and that the sheriff’s office plans to “prosecute to the fullest.” 

An investigation is ongoing by the sheriff’s office and police department. More information will be released as it becomes available.