Paul Digiacinto {BSO}
By Ryan Yousefi
A man has been charged with premeditated murder in connection with the death of his girlfriend following a shooting and standoff within his parents’ residence in Coral Springs.
On October 23, the Coral Springs Police Department responded to the scene of a reported shooting near the 10700 block of Northwest 21 Street. Multiple 911 calls flooded the dispatch center, reporting a possible shooting inside a residence.
Among the frantic 911 callers was a mother who explained to officers details of the terrifying situation. She revealed that her son, later identified as Paul Digiacinto, 32, of Coral Springs, had allegedly shot his girlfriend, Kyla Arce, and her husband in their family home.
The initial emergency calls received at 5:55 p.m. painted a grim picture. One caller reported hearing two gunshots, while another mentioned four, raising immediate concern for the victims inside the residence.
According to the police report, the mother told officers her son was inside the house, completely naked and exhibiting signs of extreme paranoia while holding the firearm allegedly used in the shooting.
In response to the unfolding crisis, the Coral Springs Police Department quickly responded alongside multiple special units, including SWAT.
An incident command post was established, and numerous officers descended on the scene. Their initial attempts to establish contact with the armed suspect using telephones and intercoms yielded no results.
It was later revealed that Digiacinto had taken all available cell phones from inside the home and attempted to flush them down the toilet, effectively isolating himself and preventing communication with law enforcement.
Recognizing the severity of the situation, SWAT took charge of the standoff. Approximately an hour into the ordeal, one of the victims, Digiacinto’s father, managed to escape the residence, exiting through the front door.
Although he had visible injuries, including blood from his mouth, he did not appear to have suffered any gunshot wounds.
Digiacinto soon after emerged from the front door but chose not to surrender. Instead, he made his way to the rear of the house, where he was eventually tackled and taken into custody by law enforcement.
Upon taking Digiacinto into custody, detectives interviewed his mother, who provided additional insights into the events leading up to the standoff. She told officers she had arrived home from work around 3:30 p.m. and noticed her son pacing the house, seemingly under the influence of an unknown substance.
The situation escalated when she said her son entered the living room completely naked, armed with a gun. The mother said she fled the residence through a side laundry room exit and heard gunshots from inside soon after. She returned to find the suspect sitting on the couch beside the deceased victim, his girlfriend, with a firearm nearby.
The mother also told officers she witnessed her husband attempting to get the gun away from Digiacinto, but that her son put his fingers in his mouth and throat, then tried smothering him with a pillow as he told him: “I love you, dad.”
As the situation escalated, the father told officers he played dead until the assault stopped, then sprinted for the front door after he picked his arm up and let it go to see if he was still alive.
Coral Springs Police outside of the murder scene. {Aiden Palmer}
According to the records, the father, who was later transported to Broward Health Coral Springs Hospital, described the suspect’s unusual behavior in the days leading up to the incident. He reported that Digiacinto had been acting paranoid, not sleeping, and not eating.
He told officers his son and his girlfriend had been staying with him and his wife for a month, reportedly because he believed people were following him.
After the ordeal, officers entered the residence to perform a safety sweep and found one deceased victim with a gunshot wound to her head.
Digiacinto was arrested and transported to the Broward County Main Jail, where he was held without bond.
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