Fort Lauderdale residents hear gunshots killing man who had just celebrated 30th birthday

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A neighbor is sharing the horrific details after a man was shot at a Fort Lauderdale Airbnb near the city’s border with Oakland Park Thursday morning.

According to police, officers responded to the 4700 block of Northeast 18th Avenue just after 2 a.m.

Police said a man later turned up at Holy Cross Hospital, a mere block or so away from the scene, with gunshot wounds.

Crews later transferred the man to Broward Health Medical Center, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Police identified the victim as Ivan DeJesus, who just celebrated his 30th birthday earlier this month on April 8.

Neighbors woke up in fear after hearing rounds of shots go off on the property.

David Hart, who lives directly next door, told Local 10 News that he called 911 and described what he saw just moments after the gunshots.

“That gunfire happened like four separate times,” he said.

Hart also described what the suspect’s car looked like after the man fled the scene.

“It was blue it was an older Chevy, looked to me like an extended bed,” he said. “The car was lowered and he took off seconds afterwards.”

Neighbors said the house where the shooting occurred had been used as an Airbnb.

The room is listed on Redfin and says it has 1500 square feet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms,

According to its Airbnb listing, the room can be rented for $500 a night and can fit up to 16 people.

Hart says he warned the owner, who is from Arizona, that nothing good would come from turning this home into an Airbnb.

“I spoke to the guy and I told him about it and he’s using it for an investment,” he said.

Police haven’t identified any possible suspects. Officials said they were investigating what led up to the shooting.

Authorities asked anyone with information to call Fort Lauderdale police or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.


About the Authors:

Alex Finnie joined the Local 10 News team in May 2018. South Florida is home! She was raised in Miami and attended the Cushman School and New World School of the Arts for high school.

Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born in Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.