Updated

Updated · KABC-TV · Jul 3

Florida Parking-Space Dispute Leaves 62-Year-Old Dead as Shooter Claims Self-Defense

Updated

Updated · KABC-TV · Jul 3

Florida Parking-Space Dispute Leaves 62-Year-Old Dead as Shooter Claims Self-Defense

Q: A parking spot argument left a veteran dead. Why haven't prosecutors received the case against the shooter claiming self-defense?

Prosecutors have not received the case because the Broward Sheriff’s Office is still investigating and has not yet formally submitted it to the Broward State Attorney’s Office. That is not unusual in a fresh homicide case, especially one involving a self-defense claim under Florida law. Detectives are still reviewing multiple videos, witness accounts, and physical evidence to determine whether the woman’s claim fits Florida’s Stand Your Ground and self-defense statutes. Those laws can justify deadly force if a person reasonably believed it was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, but they do not protect someone who unlawfully provoked the confrontation unless that person clearly withdrew. The available video appears to show the woman pointing a handgun while holding a cellphone, Diguglielmo walking away, then returning toward her, and the woman saying “walk away” before shots were fired. Investigators will need to assess whether she faced an imminent threat at the moment she fired, whether she escalated the encounter, and whether the evidence supports or undermines her self-defense claim. Because the shooting happened only days ago, the lack of a referral to prosecutors appears to reflect the normal pace of an active investigation rather than any announced decision not to charge. Once detectives finish their review, they will present the case to the 17th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether criminal charges are warranted.

3 articles · Updated · KABC-TV · Jul 3

Broward County prosecutors have not yet received the Walmart parking-lot case in which 62-year-old Bart Diguglielmo was fatally shot after a dispute over a parking space.
Midday Tuesday in North Lauderdale, investigators say an adult woman and Diguglielmo argued verbally before she shot him; she stayed at the scene, cooperated with detectives and said she acted in self-defense.
Cellphone and dashcam video show the woman outside a parked vehicle pointing a handgun while holding a phone, telling Diguglielmo to “walk away” before gunfire.
Diguglielmo was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead, while authorities have not released the woman's name or said clearly whether she was taken into custody.
The Broward County Sheriff's Office is investigating, and the 17th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office will decide whether any criminal charges are filed.