A heated dispute over a parking space turned deadly outside a Walmart supercenter in North Lauderdale, Florida, leaving a 62-year-old U.S. Army veteran, Bart Diguglielmo, dead.
The victim, identified as Bart Diguglielmo, was a retired Staff Sergeant and a New Jersey native who had spent 30 years working as a nurse.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the fatal incident occurred just before 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Emergency responders rushed Diguglielmo to Broward Health Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later.
Confrontation captured on camera as shooter claims self-defence
Authorities confirmed that the shooting stemmed from an intense verbal altercation between Diguglielmo and an unidentified female driver over an empty parking slot.
Following the gunfire, the woman remained at the scene, cooperated with responding deputies, and claimed she acted entirely in self-defence.
Witnesses reported that the woman became highly hysterical and was heard screaming continuously as police cordoned off the area.
Video footage of the moments leading up to the tragedy has surfaced on social media, detailing the escalation. The recording captures the woman exiting her vehicle with a firearm already drawn as she exchanges words with Diguglielmo, who was wearing a grey shirt.
Heated argument ends in a single fatal gunshot
The footage shows both shoppers repeatedly pointing at one another while standing inside the vacant parking spot. At one point, Diguglielmo is seen raising both hands into the air before following the woman around another parked vehicle.
Throughout the encounter, the woman kept her firearm pointed directly at the veteran. A single gunshot is heard in the recording, causing Diguglielmo to collapse to the pavement immediately.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives are continuing their investigation. Once finalised, the findings will be forwarded to the Broward County State Attorney’s Office to determine whether criminal charges will be filed against the shooter.
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