On leave from the Florida Highway Patrol and in his native Haiti to tend to his ailing wife, Trooper Jean Barthelus was the kind of man who lived to serve.

So when at least two men reportedly flagged him down on the roadside in Port-au-Prince on Friday, he stopped, say family members in South Florida.

That proved to be fatal.  Barthelus, 47, was slain in his car in the neighborhood of Turgeau when armed assailants unleashed a fusillade of bullets that riddled his vehicle and struck him in the head, according to his relatives.”We are in shock,” said Dorothy Borgelin, 44, a cousin who described Barthelus as her best friend.  “We don’t know if it was an assassination or a robbery.  But he was always there to help people.”

Barthelus, an eight-year FHP veteran who worked road patrol onFlorida’s Turnpike, told his wife Michelle that he was going out Friday evening to run some errands, said Borgelin.  He was discovered dead about 1 a.m. Saturday, she said.

Haitian authorities have yet to say anything about Barthelus’ murder. Trooper Jose Sanchez said FHP officials were working US and Hatiain officials. Information about his death comes from family friends there, said Borgelin.

FHP confirmed Barthelus’ death, saying in a statement that the agency “extends our deepest sympathies and condolences to Trooper Barthelus’ family.”

Sanchez, who worked with Barthelus, described him as “dedicated to his profession and a pleasure to work with.” He had received many commendations, said Sanchez.

“They say the Good Lord picks the most beautiful flower for his garden,” said Sanchez. “He was a beautiful flower.”

Borgelin said Barthelus was a graduate of Florida State University and also held a master’s degree in engineering from Florida International University.

She described him as a very prudent man, who did not drink alcohol even when he was off duty, just in case he were called in to work.

In his addition to his wife, Barthelus is survived by a daughter, his mother Emily, of North Miami, three brothers and three sisters.

Borgelin said Michelle Barthelus is making arrangements to return to South Florida with her husband’s body this week.  Services are pending.