Charges will not be filed against woman who fatally shot man in North Lauderdale Walmart parking lot

Key Points:

• Melissa Payne will not face prosecution for fatally shooting U.S. Army veteran Bart Diguglielmo outside a North Lauderdale Walmart on June 30, as the Broward County State Attorney’s Office concluded she acted in self-defense under Florida’s stand your ground law.
• The incident began over a parking dispute and escalated after Diguglielmo threatened Payne and later approached her vehicle aggressively, prompting Payne to shoot him once in the abdomen.
• Diguglielmo was taken to a hospital where he died from his injuries; his daughter Amanda and her attorney dispute the self-defense claim and express disappointment over the decision not to file charges.
• Video footage and witness statements played a key role in the investigation, showing Payne warning Diguglielmo multiple times before firing the shot.
• Amanda Diguglielmo described her father as a devoted family man and Army sergeant, emphasizing the personal loss and contesting the justification for the shooting.