A 20-year-old student was killed and the 25-year-old ex-boyfriend later died from a self-inflicted wound, investigators said.
DAVIE, FL — Police say a shooting Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot of the Aveda Institute South Florida left a student dead and another person gravely injured in a case tied to a domestic dispute outside the cosmetology campus along South University Drive.
Authorities said the attack unfolded shortly after 2 p.m. in a busy plaza north of Griffin Road, prompting a massive response and brief lockdowns at nearby schools and churches. By Wednesday, Davie Police said the violence involved a former couple and that there was no continuing threat to the public. The woman, a 20-year-old student, died at the scene. The man, 25, suffered a gunshot wound believed to be self-inflicted and died later at a hospital. Detectives continued collecting witness statements and security video while the Broward County Medical Examiner prepared to confirm identities and causes of death.
Officers were dispatched after 911 callers reported gunfire in the Aveda Institute parking lot at 4186 S. University Drive just after 2 p.m. Tuesday. Squad cars, crime-scene vans and fire-rescue units converged within minutes as bystanders sheltered inside storefronts. A white car with visible bullet damage became a focal point for investigators, who later covered part of the vehicle with a tarp. “Our officers located two people with gunshot wounds,” department spokesperson Julia Ross said in a brief statement, noting that one victim was pronounced dead at the scene while the other was rushed to a trauma center in critical condition. Students inside the school described confusion and panic as staff urged them to move away from the front windows and take cover in classrooms.
By early Wednesday, police said evidence indicated a domestic relationship between the two people involved and emphasized that detectives were not searching for additional suspects. The department said the woman who died was a current student and the man who later died had previously been in a relationship with her. Officials have not released their names, citing notification of relatives. Ross said the initial timeline points to an argument in or near the parking area before shots were fired. The institute sits in a commercial corridor with steady daytime foot traffic, and surveillance cameras from neighboring shops are being reviewed. Officers collected shell casings and photographed damage to at least one vehicle as technicians mapped the scene.
Witnesses said the first sirens sounded within moments of the gunfire. Students recalled hearing several pops and a scramble as instructors locked classroom doors. Parents arriving for afternoon pickups at nearby schools were briefly held at police tape until the lockdowns were lifted. One mother, Monica Garcia, said she texted her child to stay put while officers moved through the lot. A priest at St. David Catholic Church said parish offices temporarily limited visitors while police secured the area. Fire-rescue units staged in the median as officers established a perimeter and directed drivers around the plaza. By sunset, investigators had expanded the crime scene with cones and evidence markers stretching across several parking spaces.
The school and surrounding neighborhood have not seen recent gun violence of this kind, according to residents and business owners, though officers routinely patrol the busy corridor. Broward County has faced past lockdowns for unrelated threats, and Tuesday’s response echoed procedures rehearsed since the Parkland shooting in 2018. Law enforcement agencies across South Florida maintain agreements to assist one another during major incidents; marked units from neighboring jurisdictions were visible near the scene, along with county crime-scene technicians. Public records show the Aveda Institute campus draws commuter students from across the region, and the parking lot often fills by early afternoon when practical labs begin.
Davie Police said the case remains an active investigation. Detectives plan to pull video from the beauty school and nearby businesses, examine the firearm recovered at the scene, and review phone records and prior calls for service involving the pair, if any exist. The Broward County Medical Examiner will conduct autopsies and issue formal determinations of cause and manner of death. Officials said they expect to release the victims’ names after relatives are notified. No charges are anticipated because the only known shooter is deceased, but the investigative file will be forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office for routine review once evidence processing is complete.
Administrators at the Aveda Institute said the campus would cooperate with investigators and support students and staff affected by the violence. A brief statement said counseling resources were being arranged and that the school would adjust schedules as needed. A nearby shop owner described officers going door to door to ask for camera footage and contact information. “You could see the fear on some of the students’ faces,” the shop owner said. Another student said classmates gathered in a break room after the scene cleared, hugging and calling family members before leaving in small groups escorted by friends.
As of Wednesday morning, police had cleared the immediate area and reopened traffic lanes along South University Drive. The medical examiner’s office is expected to release identities once next-of-kin notifications are complete. Investigators plan to provide the next public update after reviewing surveillance video and witness interviews later this week.
Author note: Last updated January 28, 2026.