Florida prosecutors will not bring charges against Melissa Payne over the fatal shooting of army veteran Bart DiGuglielmo during a dispute over a parking space at a Walmart in North Lauderdale.
The Broward County State Attorney’s Office said Payne was protected by the state’s Stand Your Ground law after shooting DiGuglielmo, 62, outside the store on June 30. He was taken to hospital but later died.
The incident happened at the Walmart on West McNab Road after Payne and DiGuglielmo attempted to claim the same parking space. Investigators said the confrontation was captured by several surveillance and mobile phone cameras.
According to a closeout memorandum released by prosecutors, DiGuglielmo later returned to the area and approached Payne’s vehicle. Witnesses described him as angry and said Payne repeatedly warned him not to come closer before she fired a single shot, striking him in the abdomen.
Prosecutors said the video did not necessarily show that Payne was entirely in the right. However, they concluded the evidence was insufficient to disprove her claim that she reasonably feared serious harm, which meant she was immune from prosecution under Florida law.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office said Payne remained at the scene and co-operated with detectives after the shooting. The initial investigation found that the pair had been involved in a verbal altercation over the parking space.
DiGuglielmo’s family and their lawyer have disputed the decision. They said the confrontation involved threats to property rather than a danger that could justify the use of deadly force, and argued that criminal charges should have been filed.
