A dispute over backyard target practice in Sumter, South Carolina, ended in a deadly escalation on April 16, 2025. Police say 76-year-old Felicia Leonard was found shot to death in the garage of her Saltwood Drive home after her 80-year-old husband, Reuben Arthur Leonard, allegedly embarked on a rampage that night.

Investigators report Reuben Leonard had complained for weeks about neighbors legally engaging in target practice on Floyd Drive. After allegedly killing his wife, he walked through the woods armed with an assault rifle, forced his way into a nearby house and opened fire on about 10 people. Eleven-year-old Ashly McFarland was killed instantly; other people in the home subdued Leonard until deputies arrived. While being taken into custody, he reportedly told deputies to check on his wife, leading to the discovery of Felicia Leonard’s body.

Reuben Leonard was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder and was denied bond at his first court appearance on April 18, 2025. The motive for Felicia Leonard’s killing remains under investigation.

Did anyone in the Sumter area witness tensions between the Leonards and their neighbors or have information about the events that night?