David Alexzander Sligh

On the morning of January 22, 2024, David Alexzander Sligh, a 30-year-old White man from Orlando, Florida, was driving to the first day of a new full-time job. His family described him as a loving father who was turning his life around for his young son, and this new job was meant to be a new beginning. Tragically, he would never make it to work.

The fatal encounter happened just before 6:30 a.m. on East Colonial Drive near Lake Baldwin Lane. According to court records, the incident began when Sligh changed lanes in front of another driver, 26-year-old Nicholas Carrasquillo. Carrasquillo told police he had to brake hard, and he reacted by honking his horn and flashing his high beams at Sligh. When both cars stopped at a red light, the two men began yelling at each other. When the light turned green, Sligh’s car did not move. The entire interaction, captured on surveillance video, lasted less than a minute.

Carrasquillo, whose driver's side window did not work, opened his car door. He then reached into his glovebox, pulled out a handgun, and stood partially outside his vehicle. He fired a shot into the ground near Sligh’s car, then fired five more shots at Sligh. One of the bullets struck Sligh in the head. After being shot, Sligh’s car drifted across two lanes of traffic before coming to a stop against a utility pole. First responders attempted life-saving measures before taking him to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Carrasquillo remained at the scene and was identified by a witness to whom he admitted being the shooter. During an interview with investigators, Carrasquillo said he felt “trapped” but acknowledged that he never saw Sligh with a weapon and that Sligh never got out of his car. He also admitted that he could have driven around Sligh’s vehicle to leave the situation and that the incident likely would not have happened if he had not honked and flashed his lights. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder with a firearm.

Nicholas Carrasquillo pleaded not guilty, claiming he acted in self-defense. His case went to trial, and in March 2025, after about two hours of deliberation, a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm and shooting into an occupied vehicle.

In May 2025, a judge sentenced Carrasquillo to 50 years in prison for the murder and 15 years for shooting into an occupied vehicle, with the sentences to be served at the same time.