Nearly two months after the deadly shooting of a 19-year-old outside a short-term rental in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, police have made an arrest.
Larry Smith, 19, is accused of fatally shooting Myrah Zeigler in the early hours of May 26 after a party at an Airbnb on Southwest 16th Street spiraled out of control and erupted into violence. Fort Lauderdale police said an argument at the party escalated into a fight before gunfire broke out just before 4:30 a.m., ultimately resulting in Zeigler’s death.
First responders found Zeigler injured in the street. She was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
On Sunday, Fort Lauderdale police arrested Smith during a traffic stop. Authorities said he had an active warrant for second-degree murder.
Zeigler’s mother, Alacia Ford-Barron, told WPLG that she had been on a FaceTime call with her daughter moments before the shooting. She said Zeigler had called 911 after being pepper-sprayed and robbed during the chaotic party.
“My daughter was taken from me within two minutes,” Ford-Barron said through her tears.
Ford-Barron described Zeigler as a “strong-hearted, caring and loving” young woman.
“I feel like I lost everything,” she said. “I can’t rock her no more.”
Now, with an arrest made, Zeigler’s family says they are ready to see justice served.
“I’m happy that they got him, but this still don’t bring my child back,” Ford-Barron said. “You took a beautiful soul from me. You took my daughter, you took my first love. That was my first love. That was my twin.”
As of Monday morning, Smith remained in custody at the Broward County Main Jail without bond.
