A 25-year-old man shot his former girlfriend, a 20-year-old student at the Aveda Institute South Florida, and then fatally shot himself in the school’s parking lot Tuesday afternoon, Davie police said. Officers converged on the 4100 block of South University Drive just after 2 p.m., found two people with gunshot wounds beside a white car, and later confirmed both had died.
Investigators described the shooting as domestic-related and confined to the parking area outside the cosmetology campus. The attack sent students and clients rushing from the building as officers established a perimeter and escorted groups to safety. Administrators at two nearby schools issued brief lockdowns while police cleared the area. Detectives stressed there was no ongoing threat and no additional suspects. Authorities are now reconstructing the minutes before the gunfire, gathering surveillance video from surrounding businesses and interviewing classmates who witnessed the aftermath.
Dispatchers began receiving 911 calls around 2:08 p.m. from the plaza that houses the Aveda Institute, north of Griffin Road. Responding officers found a woman fatally wounded in or near the passenger side of a white sedan and a man with what they described as a self-inflicted gunshot. Fire-rescue crews initiated treatment, and the man was taken to a hospital, where he died. A Davie police spokesperson at the scene said investigators were not seeking other individuals. Students and customers were told to leave the building with their hands visible as officers escorted them across the lot to a staging area for interviews. Witnesses reported screams and a flurry of radio traffic as patrol units sealed off rows of parking stalls.
Detectives said the woman was enrolled at the Aveda Institute and the man was an ex-boyfriend. Investigators collected shell casings, photographed bullet strikes on pavement and glass, and towed the vehicle for forensic processing. The school canceled classes for at least two days, administrators told students. Officers canvassed the shopping center and adjacent storefronts for camera footage that could show the pair arriving or arguing before the shots. Officials did not immediately release the names of the victim and shooter, pending notification of next of kin. The Broward County medical examiner will determine official causes of death; autopsy and toxicology results typically take weeks.
The late-afternoon response affected nearby campuses, including St. David Catholic School and Know-It-All Preparatory School, which issued code-red lockdowns as a precaution and lifted them after police confirmed the scene was contained. Parents received messages about temporary closures of entrances as traffic backed up along South University Drive. Business owners in the plaza said they held customers inside until officers directed them to exit. By sundown, a tarp covered the white car at the center of the crime scene, yellow evidence markers dotted the asphalt, and detectives walked grid lines with flashlights to document fragments and trajectories.
Police did not announce prior calls for service involving the couple or disclose whether any restraining orders existed. It remained unknown late Wednesday how many rounds were fired or the caliber of the handgun recovered at the scene. Detectives said they will review phone records and messages to chart the pair’s movements and communications ahead of the shooting. Investigators also plan to pull data from license-plate readers in the corridor to verify arrival times recorded on surveillance systems at the plaza.
The Aveda Institute sits along a busy commercial stretch of South University Drive lined with restaurants, retail and schools. Classes were in session when the gunfire started, and students described confusion as instructors ushered people away from windows before officers entered to escort them out. Aerial images from local stations showed rows of patrol cars and tape cordoning off the lot as curious onlookers gathered at a distance. Technicians photographed footprints and tire impressions as part of the reconstruction work typically performed in outdoor shootings.
Authorities said the case would proceed through standard steps for homicide investigations in Broward County. Detectives are compiling an incident timeline, forensic reports and witness statements for review by the State Attorney’s Office. Because the suspected shooter died, prosecutors are not expected to file criminal charges, but the case file will document findings and may include firearm tracing records and any history of prior police contacts involving the couple. Victim advocates were assigned to classmates and staff who were present during the response.
Witness accounts collected by police and local reporters described a burst of shots followed by a sudden rush of students into the lot. One student recalled being told to keep hands raised while moving past patrol cars to a secure area. A shop owner nearby said he saw officers direct evacuees into groups for interviews while others worked around the white sedan. By evening, the school’s entrance remained sealed with tape and cones as investigators finished grid searches for additional fragments and photographed the scene under lights.
As of Wednesday evening, Davie police said the investigation is ongoing. The next update is expected after the medical examiner’s preliminary findings and once family notifications are complete. The school’s administration said it is cooperating with detectives and coordinating counseling resources for students and staff affected by the incident.
Author note: Last updated January 28, 2026.