An Orange County murder suspect, Madsen Saint-Louis, was apprehended in South Florida on Tuesday after he had reportedly fled to Haiti to evade capture for a fatal shooting that occurred in late 2021. According to ClickOrlando, Saint-Louis, 35, is charged with premeditated first-degree murder with a firearm in the death of 32-year-old Mackenson Gay, on Dec. 31, 2021. Deputies were called to the 6200 block of West Colonial Drive, where they found Gay, who was transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead.

The incident arose from an altercation on New Year’s Eve at a restaurant and bar on West Colonial Drive. The suspect and the victim were engaged in a verbal argument when Saint-Louis allegedly retrieved a handgun from his car and shot Gay once in the head. After securing probable cause, detectives moved to quickly secure an arrest warrant for Saint-Louis on Jan. 4, 2022, but not before he fled to Haiti, the Gazette reports.

The details surrounding Saint-Louis's stay in Haiti and his subsequent return to the United States remain unclear, however, his arrest was executed upon his arrival in the U.S. He is currently held at the Broward County Jail, with no bond, awaiting extradition to Orange County to face charges about the alleged murder.

It was a significant lapse in judgment that led Saint-Louis to choose to come back to Florida, where law enforcement had been on the lookout for him ever since the issue of the warrant. The arrest underscores the long reach of law enforcement and the persistence in pursuing a suspect across international borders. Saint-Louis will now face the legal consequences of the grave allegations against him as the extradition process to send him back to Orange County unfolds.