Man shot, killed at New Year's Eve party in Lauderhill

Police searching for gunman who fled scene

LAUDERHILL, Fla. – A 26-year-old man was shot and killed at a New Year's Eve party in Lauderhill, police said.

Lt. Michael Santiago, a spokesman for the Lauderhill Police Department, said officers called to a report of a shooting found Paul Nelson suffering from several gunshot wounds just before 11 p.m. Sunday outside a home in the 5300 block of Northwest 17th Court.

Nelson was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Santiago said Nelson was attending a New Year's Eve party with friends inside the home when a man approached him and began shooting. The man then fled the scene, Santiago said.

Santiago described the shooter as a black man with a slender build standing about 6 feet tall. The suspect was last seen wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, Santiago said.

Police closed off the street for several hours early Monday as they investigated. Officers towed Jeep Wrangler off the street and collected several bags of evidence.

"It's crazy. I mean, it's not even four hours into the new year and people are already dying," one neighbor told Local 10 News. "It's crazy. It's sad. That's directly across the street from where I live."

Anyone with information about the case is asked call Detective Kaela Allyson at 954-497-4700 or Broward County Crime Stoppers 954-493-TIPS.