Residents of Back Street, Prospect are breathing a sigh of relief after their alleged terroriser, Samuel La Fleur killed himself shortly after shooting a woman.
La Fleur on Sunday ended his life with a single bullet to his head and residents stated that they now feel secure in their community following the man’s suicide.According to reports, La Fleur had been a menace in Prospect and residents had expressed discomfort with him. However, they had been too intimidated to do anything about him.
Curtis (only name given) had previously been reported as the man with whom La Fleur had attempted to settle a dispute before he shot the woman, Onika Little. It is said that Curtis had been the intended target of La Fleur’s shot. However, he had not been at home when La Fleur reportedly sought him out.
Curtis told this newspaper last night that he had had a few encounters with La Fleur in years.
Curtis explained that he and La Fleur had been acquaintances until about three years ago when he broke contact with the man after he had seen inappropriate photos of female residents on La Fleur’s phone.
“When I saw them I felt strange but never mentioned anything to him but after that I stopped talking to him,” Curtis said. He further said that La Fleur immediately became aggressive towards him and would publicly hurl derogatory remarks at him.
“I never really one day go out and tell him anything and ask him why he treating me so…’cause you know what it is to torment someone and they ain’t say nothing? It musse got to him that I never retaliated to him,” Curtis opined.
He added that the man would also act strangely within the community and would sometimes be caught peeping at other persons. He added that La Fleur was also abusive to his own relatives and would oftentimes blast his music to the annoyance of his neighbours.
However, the man was never approached by anyone within the community after word had spread about his killing of a soldier in Haiti. “We living in a small community so of course word does spread,” Curtis said.
When he heard that La Fleur had been calling for him before the shooting, Curtis stated that it was not unexpected.
“I wasn’t surprised because the tension was always in the air with him,” Curtis said. However, he said, “I was surprised that he came in this manner, in that way, because I does be passing him close, close and he never do anything.”
Curtis went on, “I know a lot of people feel a great ease because the tormenting done…people can live in peace now.”
According to reports, at around 2:30 PM on Sunday a highly intoxicated La Fleur ventured into his neighbour’s yard where he proceeded to call out for Curtis. However, he was told that Curtis was not home and subsequently fired a number of shots, one of which injured Little. He then returned home and killed himself by firing one bullet into his head.
La Fleur, a former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Lance Corporal, was charged with murder for shooting fellow soldier, Corporal Linden Alleyne multiple times at a base in Les Cayes, Haiti on January 18th 1996. He had also been court martialled in March of 1996 and was later sentenced to 14 years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.
Meanwhile, Little is still hospitalized but in a stable condition. According to a relative, the doctors are yet to remove the bullet from her arm.
