FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A 19-year-old woman’s family is speaking out after Fort Lauderdale police arrested who they believe is her killer.
Police confirmed Monday that Larry Smith, 19, was arrested Sunday in connection with the case during a traffic stop.
According to authorities, Myrah Zeigler, 19, was fatally shot outside a Fort Lauderdale Airbnb on May 19.
Now her family is one step closer to justice.
“It hurts because he’s taken my daughter – I can’t get my daughter back,” Zeigler’s mother, Alacia Ford-Barron, told Local 10 News.
Smith now faces a second-degree murder charge for Zeigler’s killing.
“If I could have anything to say to him – ‘You’re a coward. You are a coward for what you did to my child. You had no right to take my child’s life.’” Ford-Barron said.
“I feel a sense of calmness but not relief. There’s never going to be relief without her,” Zeigler’s stepfather, Monte Barron, said.
Zeigler was loved by many. She was a track star, a cheerleader, a dancer, and at just 19 years old, she was focused on a future in the medical field, already practicing as a certified nursing assistant.
But in the early morning of May 19, her light was dimmed.
Police said she was staying at an Airbnb on Southwest 16th Street when a party turned violent and deadly.
According to police, it was around 4:30 a.m. when a fight got out of control and gunshots were fired.
Zeigler was found lying in the street. She was rushed to the hospital but did not survive.
“I would tell her that I was proud of her and mommy had no regrets,” Ford-Barron said.
Her family said they are still looking for answers.
“I will not give up,” Ford-Barron said. “It doesn’t stop here.”