DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - A day after gunfire outside a beauty school in Davie caused panic and chaos, police said the shooting was a murder-suicide involving a 25-year-old man and his ex-girlfriend.
The tense moments unfolded Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot of the Aveda Institute in Davie — with students, staff, and customers all caught in the middle.
Wednesday afternoon, Davie Police said investigators determined that the individuals knew each other and were previously in a relationship.
The victim was a 20-year-old woman who was a student at the beauty school.
The 25-year-old gunman was transported to the hospital on Tuesday with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He later succumbed to that injury.
Tuesday’s shooting sent fear across a place meant for learning, as people dropped everything they were doing and ran for safety.
“I was inside getting my hair done. They were finishing up, and then we just heard screaming,” said a woman who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera.
Witness Monica May said she spoke with two students who told her they saw the shooting.
“They said to me, ‘We saw it. We were standing outside in a little break, ’cause they also work for Aveda, and we saw when [the shooter] was standing and, with the gun, shooting in the window,” she said.
911 calls captured the moments when panic set in, as people realized that someone had been shot.
“Hi, can somebody please bring a cop? Somebody got shot at the Aveda Institute on University [Drive],” said a caller.
Callers described the horrific crime that happened just outside the beauty school.
“We heard gunshots outside, one of the students went outside, said that they saw someone with a gun pointing at a car, and then they’re also saying that they also passed by the car, and there was a dead person or someone laying down in the car,” said a caller.
Cellphone video captured people with their hands up as police evacuated the building.
7Skyforce, meanwhile, flew over the scene on Tuesday afternoon, capturing the chilling sight of a bullet hole through a windshield at the site.
Police confirmed there was no ongoing threat, but the investigation stretched into the night, forcing those at beauty school to leave their vehicles and belongings behind.
Student Emily Sosa, who returned to get her car Wednesday, said the shooting brought back painful memories.
“I was very scared. One of my classmates was in the Parkland shooting, so all that trauma coming back and being so close to the date and the anniversary of Parkland shooting, it was very scary and a scary moment for all of us, and then for her to have to relive that again,” she said.
Classes at the school have been canceled and will resume on Monday.
Police said they are in contact with the families of those affected by the incident and, out of respect, will not release any victim information at this time as they continue to investigate.
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