A verbal dispute at an apartment complex in Lafayette, Louisiana ended in gunfire in the spring of 2019. On March 24, 34-year-old Kendrick L. Flugence was shot multiple times at the Mont Chateau Apartments on Louisiana Avenue after an argument that had briefly de-escalated and then flared again when Flugence’s father arrived. Testimony at trial described Flugence attempting to flee when he was shot in the back; his father said the confrontation had been verbal only.

Investigators arrested Taveon Malik Leary, who was indicted on second-degree murder charges. Leary went to trial in February 2023 and claimed self-defense, saying Flugence and his father had threatened him in the days before and on the day of the shooting. A jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on February 13, 2023, on the second-degree murder charge. Motions for a new trial and for post-verdict acquittal were denied.

What information about the events at Mont Chateau Apartments might help explain how the argument escalated to deadly violence?