VSP: Mass. man fatally shot N.H. man in Waterbury over drug debt

October 22, 2024 | Eric Blaisdell | Times Argus staff writer 

BARRE — Vermont State Police say a Massachusetts man shot and killed a New Hampshire man in Waterbury last week in a dispute about a drug debt.

Fabrice Rumama, 20, of Springfield, Massachusetts, pleaded not guilty by video Monday in Washington County criminal court in Barre to a felony count of second-degree murder. If convicted, Rumama faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a minimum sentence of 20 years. He was ordered held without bail, pending a weight-of-the-evidence hearing, and was housed at Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury as of Tuesday.

Vermont State Police Detective Sgt. Seth Richardson said in his affidavit that a woman at Kneeland Flats Trailer Park in Waterbury called 911 on Oct. 14 to report multiple people had been shot. Richardson said the witness reported Shawn Spiker, 34, of Croydon, New Hampshire, had been shot and killed and Michael S. Perry, 57, of Waterbury, also had been shot but was still alive.

Richardson said police went to the home and found Spiker dead from apparent gunshot wounds. He said Perry was located and treated by emergency responders.

The detective said a search warrant was executed on the home, where several spent shell casings were found.

Richardson said a witness reported she was staying at the home temporarily because her friend lived there, and she heard a bang that turned out to be a gunshot. The witness reported she heard Perry yell “Ow” and then heard more shots, according to court records.

The detective said the witness reported she called 911, and when she exited the bedroom she was in, she saw Spiker lying on the ground with blood everywhere. He said the witness reported she tried to give Spiker chest compressions.

Richardson said another witness, the resident of the home, reported she heard the gunshots and also saw Spiker lying on the floor. He said this witness reported Perry told her to call 911 as he was lying against a door.

Richardson said this witness reported she had recently arranged to take possession of a “stack of fentanyl” from two men known as “Savage” and “Smitty.”

The witness reported she took the drugs so that she could sell them in order to fix her vehicle, according to court records.

Richardson said the witness reported the two men appeared at her home on Oct. 13 demanding the money she had made from selling drugs.

He said the witness reported the men believed she had more money than what she gave them and a dispute ensued, with the men pointing guns at the witness. The witness reported she was threatened by the men, but she didn’t give specifics, according to court records.

He said the witness believed the two men were responsible for the shooting, given the prior incident with the threats and guns.

On Oct. 15, Richardson said a separate witness called police to report he was told by the resident of the home that Spiker, Perry, herself and the woman who was staying at the home, who was the witness who reportedly gave Spiker chest compressions, had robbed “Smitty,” which is why he came to the home and shot Spiker.

Richardson said police interviewed Perry on Oct. 15. He said Perry reported he was in a far room in the home when he turned around and saw a younger male holding what appeared to be a silver gun.

The detective said police then executed a search warrant at a home on Route 302 in Orange. It’s unclear from court records how police located this home in connection to the investigation or if this search warrant was executed as part of a separate drug investigation.

Richardson said people were seen fleeing into the woods when the warrant was executed. He said one of the people fleeing was apprehended and identified as Rumama.

Richardson said another male, identified as Samuel Niyonsenga, 18, also was apprehended while fleeing the home. Niyonsenga has been charged in Orange County criminal court with a felony count of fentanyl trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty and was housed at Northeast Correctional Complex on $50,000 bail as of Tuesday.

Richardson said at the home in Orange, police found fentanyl, in bulk form and individually packaged, an “AR-style” rifle, two handguns and $3,000 in cash.

Richardson said a witness at the home in Orange reported he had allowed the men to stay at his home, and they had been selling drugs out of the home since spring.

The detective said investigators used a cooperating individual in this case who was not identified in court records and agreed to work with police for consideration in the active criminal charges they are facing. He said the individual is a drug user.

He said the individual reported they were told “Savage,” “Smitty” and a third male called “Baby Chopo” had gone to the trailer park and shot the two victims over a $140 drug debt. He said the individual reported the men were pressing people in the trailer for money when someone knocked on the door and a dispute ensued which resulted in the two men getting shot. He said “Savage” was later identified as Rumama.

It’s unclear if more arrests are expected in this case. In an update during the weekend about the shooting, State Police said no one had been cited for shooting Perry and the investigation is ongoing.

This story was published first by the Times Argus on Oct. 22.