A dispute over a parking space at the Walmart in North Lauderdale, in Broward County, ended in tragedy on Tuesday when a woman shot a 62-year-old man who died hours later at the hospital, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO).
The victim was identified as Bart Diguglielmo, a resident of Lauderhill, who was urgently transported to Broward Health Medical Center after being shot in the parking lot of the establishment located at 7900 West McNab Road.
The doctors confirmed his passing, and the BSO made the news public on Wednesday.
The altercation occurred shortly before 12:30 PM on June 30, when Diguglielmo and a woman - whose identity has not been disclosed - began a verbal argument over a parking space.
The confrontation escalated until the woman opened fire.
In the footage recorded by a witness—and widely shared by local media—it can be seen that the man approaches a woman who is holding a weapon. In the video, it is not clear that the man is also armed with a firearm.
Seconds later, a shot was heard, and Bart Diguglielmo sat on the ground until he finally collapsed.
BSO agents and the North Lauderdale Fire and Rescue team responded to the 911 call and found Diguglielmo with a serious gunshot wound.
The witness David Anderson, who was present at the scene at that time, described the situation to El Nuevo Herald: "I was walking and I heard a woman screaming. She was screaming and saying a lot of things."
The woman's version: Self-defense
After the shooting, the woman did not flee the scene.
According to the BSO, “the woman remained at the scene, cooperated with the detectives, and stated that the shooting was in self-defense.”
She was detained for questioning, but so far she has not been formally arrested nor have any charges been filed against her.
The homicide detectives of the BSO indicated that, once the investigation is concluded, the case will be referred to the Broward County State Attorney's Office to determine whether criminal charges will be filed.
Who was Bart Diguglielmo?
The victim's sister, who refused to provide her full name, spoke with CBS News Miami and painted a picture of her brother that contrasts with the violent outcome of that Tuesday.
He described Diguglielmo as a decorated war veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm and as a retired nurse with 30 years of professional practice.
“He was a Christian man and a very good person, and he wouldn’t harm anyone,” he stated.
He described what happened as "simply heartbreaking" and revealed that Diguglielmo had an identical twin brother who died years ago.
The Stand Your Ground law and its weight in the case
The woman's self-defense argument brings to the forefront the controversial Florida law known as Stand Your Ground, which has been in effect since 2005. This law removes the obligation to retreat in the face of a threat in public spaces— including parking lots— and allows the use of lethal force if a person reasonably believes that their life is in danger.
This regulation has been the center of controversial cases in Florida.
The most direct precedent is that of Michael Drejka, who in 2018 killed Markeis McGlockton in a Walmart parking lot in Clearwater following a dispute over a parking space for people with disabilities.
Drejka claimed Stand Your Ground, but was sentenced to 20 years in prison for reckless homicide in 2019, which demonstrated that the law does not provide automatic protection.
Studies on the implementation of this standard in Florida indicate that approximately 68% of cases involve unarmed assailants.
The case of North Lauderdale is not an isolated incident in South Florida.
In January 2026, a shooting in Hialeah also originated from a verbal confrontation that escalated to gunfire.
Just weeks before this incident, another shooting in northwest Miami-Dade was triggered by a dispute over a parking spot, leaving two injured.
The investigation into the North Lauderdale case remains open, and the final decision on whether the woman will face criminal charges will be in the hands of the Broward County State Attorney's Office once the homicide detectives complete their work.
Filed under: