Lauderhill man faces murder charges after double stabbing kills two

Gregory DaSilva was ordered held without bond in Broward bond court on Wednesday after Lauderhill police accused him of killing two men in a stabbing at an apartment complex in the 5300 block of Northwest 19th Street. Prosecutors filed two counts of premeditated murder and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as detectives pieced together a fast-moving case that turned a residential block into a homicide scene.

Police said the violence began with a call from a person who reported that a man had tried to attack him with a knife. An officer then spotted someone matching that description running on foot near the 1700 block of Northwest 55th Avenue, and a perimeter was set up. During the search, a passerby dialed 911 after finding a man lying on the ground with apparent stab wounds. Officers later found a second injured man.

One victim died at the scene, and the other died later at a hospital. Authorities have not publicly identified either man, and Lauderhill police said they have not found any known relationship between DaSilva and the victims. Investigators also have not said what sparked the attack, leaving motive as one of the central unanswered questions in the case.

Detectives said surveillance video allegedly shows DaSilva following one victim into an apartment and later approaching the second victim, who was sitting outside. The footage is also said to show stabbing motions and a chase on foot. Police recovered a knife and bloody clothing they believe are connected to the killings.

The case has drawn attention in Lauderhill because it unfolded in a housing complex, not in an isolated alley or a random street encounter. That has put the focus on how quickly a conflict can turn lethal inside a residential setting, and on what warning signs may have been missed before the stabbings. The Lauderhill Police Department says its Criminal Investigations Division handles homicide and aggravated-felony investigations, the unit now leading the case.

The killing comes as the City of Lauderhill has been holding its “A Safer Lauderhill” town hall series, facilitated by Mayor Denise D. Grant and Police Chief Constance Stanley. The police department says it received CFA accreditation in 2005 and most recently achieved Excelsior status in 2020, details that now sit alongside a homicide investigation likely to remain under close scrutiny as detectives test the video, the recovered evidence and the timeline that brought DaSilva into custody with help from the Broward Sheriff’s Office and Sunrise police.