Watch CBS News

Man Gunned Down In Plantation Parking Lot Identified

PLANTATION (CBSMiami) – Plantation police are still trying to unravel the events which led to a deadly shooting in an apartment building's parking lot.

Around 5:30 p.m., neighbors at the Harbor Town apartments in the 1300 block of NW 80th Terrace called 9-1-1 after hearing gun shots.

When Daniel Pearson heard popping noises outside his apartment he had no idea it was gunfire or that someone had been shot.

"I came out and went over there and looked behind the row of cars and saw him lying on the ground there," said Pearson.

When officers arrived they found 31-year old David Lawrence Nelson lying on the ground, bleeding from multiple gun shot wounds. Nelson was taken to Broward Health Medical Center where he died.

Witnesses told police they saw a Hispanic male shoot at Nelson as he tried to get away.

"The suspect was shooting at the victim and he eventually fell down to the ground and the suspect shot him a couple more times," said Plantation Detective Phil Toman.

After a three-hour search for the shooter, police finally allowed residents to return to their apartments around 8:30 p.m. Moments later a woman ran out of her unit and told police that her husband was in trouble.

"She was hysterical crying, she said her husband was lying down on the apartment floor and it appeared he had taken some pills," said Toman.

Officers found the man on the floor in a bedroom. They also found a hand gun.

"It appears that a white male was attempting to kill himself by unknown means. We don't know that yet," Toman said. "He was positively ID'd as the shooter."

"I've never had anything like this happen, never seen anything like it, right outside your door. Right outside your door at quarter to 6 in the evening," said Pearson.

The semi-conscious man, whose name has not been released, was taken to Westside Regional Medical Center. No word on his condition. When he's released from the hospital, he'll be taken to Broward's main jail.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.