Junior Petit Bien, 34, was shot to death on February 3, 2017, at a residence on Willow Spring Circle North in Boynton Beach, Florida. Deputies from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office found him in the living room, where he had been shot multiple times while sitting on a couch. He had been visiting his father’s home at the time and was of Haitian descent.

The shooter was identified as 37-year-old Jonathan Schuler, who had been renting a room in the same house from Petit Bien’s father. Schuler was initially charged with first-degree murder; at trial the jury found him guilty of manslaughter after hearing that Schuler shot Petit Bien 13 times and that Schuler claimed he thought Petit Bien was an intruder and acted in self-defense. The trial took place in Palm Beach County and resumed after pandemic-related court interruptions.

The killing and the self-defense claim raised difficult questions about intent and culpability for the family and community. If anyone knew Junior Petit Bien or has information about that February 2017 shooting, please share what is known.