FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Fort Lauderdale police are investigating a homicide after they said a 19-year-old woman was shot and killed early Monday morning outside an Airbnb in the city’s River Oaks neighborhood.
According to investigators, the shooting happened around 4:30 a.m. after “a group of adults” got into a disturbance that escalated into a fight. At some point, a man pulled out a handgun and shot the woman, who police later identified as Myrah Zeigler.
Officers said they arrived to find Zeigler lying in the roadway with a gunshot wound. She was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
The deadly violence unfolded just steps away from a nearby Airbnb, where a father from Orlando and his daughter were spending the night.
“When I saw it was too much and there were too many people, I started recording — that’s when I was like, ‘Oh no,’” said Ismael, who was staying at the property in the 800 block of Southwest 16th Street.
The other duplex, also rented through Airbnb, was occupied by guests who, according to Ismael, “had a lot going on all night.”
He described a night filled with screaming, the sound of mace being sprayed, and glass breaking.
“I heard the mace and I heard all the women screaming and the guys yelling,” he said. “They were screaming, crying, throwing glass, and next thing you know, we started hearing a fight.”
As the situation escalated, Ismael said he texted the Airbnb manager to report what was happening and warned that he was calling 911.
“They were fighting, tussling all over,” he said.
Things got even more disturbing when he heard someone threaten to use a gun.
“But inside the house, I did hear, ‘I’m going to shoot you! I’m going to shoot you!’” Ismael recalled.
He and his daughter stayed inside the rental unit, too afraid to get involved.
“I would say about 10 minutes later I hear ‘boof, boof,’ then helicopters start flying around,” he added.
Police later confirmed that a shooting did, indeed, occur in the area.
At one point, emergency crews were seen performing chest compressions on a woman who authorities say was transported to Broward Health Medical Center in a paramedic van.
“Not a great way to wake up Monday morning in River Oaks, especially right at our Gore Betz Park and there’s bus stops along the way. (It’s) very concerning,” said Ted Inserra, president of the River Oaks Civic Association.
Neighbors said the area has been relatively quiet, and they were shocked by the scene.
“I am very surprised, yes. I don’t know who comes and goes in these houses, but yes, I’m very surprised,” said Nancy Folgmann, who lives nearby.
Fort Lauderdale police said detectives are actively investigating the shooting. No arrests have been made at this time.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call FLPD at 954-828-5700 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
An Airbnb spokesperson sent Local 10 News a statement Monday following the reported shooting, which you can read here:
- We have temporarily suspended the listing as the investigation continues.
- Disruptive parties are rare on Airbnb. Globally in 2024, fewer than approximately 0.035% of reservations on Airbnb resulted in an allegation of a party.
- We have brought in measures to help enforce our ban on disruptive parties and to support communities. As a result, we have seen an over 50 percent decrease in the rate of parties reported to us globally since 2020, the year we first introduced our global party ban policy (as of 2024 and compared with 2020). Some of these measures include:
- Reservation screening to block certain bookings that are potentially higher risk for unauthorized parties.
- Amplified measures at certain times of year that can attract higher risk for parties, like Memorial Day and Halloween.
- Our Neighborhood Support Line, which enables neighbors to speak directly to us with urgent concerns about a nearby property that they believe is listed on Airbnb, like a potential party in progress.
- Our 24-hour safety line, which enables hosts and guests to quickly reach our specialized Safety team for help during an active stay, such as to report an unauthorized party.
- Support for law enforcement via a dedicated portal and response team."
