42-year-old nurse Eusther Toussaint fatally shot by husband Inol Toussaint, who then took his own life; community mourns loss amid renewed calls for domestic violence awareness
A heartbreaking murder-suicide on March 12 has devastated the Haitian-American community in Union County and beyond. Waxhaw Police Department officers responded to a residence on Prescott Glen Parkway around 4:20 p.m. after reports of gunfire and discovered 42-year-old Eusther Toussaint deceased upstairs from gunshot wounds. Her husband, 49-year-old Inol Toussaint, was found dead in the backyard from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A preliminary investigation by Waxhaw police, assisted by agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), determined that Inol Toussaint shot and killed his wife inside their home before taking his own life outside. Authorities have classified the incident as a murder-suicide stemming from domestic violence. An autopsy has been scheduled, and no motive has been publicly released.
Eusther Toussaint (née Esther Pierre) was a dedicated Haitian-American mother of two young sons, now tragically orphaned by the event. She worked as a board-certified adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner in cardiology at CaroMont Heart & Vascular in Gastonia. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University and a master’s in nursing from Walden University. The family had relocated from Florida to Waxhaw.
The Haitian-American community has expressed profound shock and grief on social media and through local networks. Eusther was remembered as a compassionate caregiver, loving mother, and pillar of strength for her family.
This is the second murder-suicide involving members of the Haitian diaspora in the region within the last six months, underscoring the devastating toll of domestic violence.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, confidential help is available 24/7 through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or by texting “START” to 88788. In an emergency, call 911.
L’Union Suite extends deepest condolences to the sons, family, friends, and colleagues of Eusther Toussaint. May they find strength and healing in the days ahead, and may her memory be a blessing.
We stand against domestic violence. No one should die in silence.
