On August 15, 2023, Dayanna Hurtado, a 24-year-old woman from Peru, was fatally shot at the MAA Coral Springs apartment complex in Coral Springs, Florida. The incident occurred just before 8:30 p.m. at the complex located in the 9200 block of Ramblewood Drive. Coral Springs Police responded to reports of a shooting and found Hurtado on the balcony of the second floor with multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect, Chase Harder, 21, was identified as Hurtado's boyfriend and a detention officer with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. Harder, a former U.S. Army Reserve military police officer, had been hired by the Fort Lauderdale Police in 2022. On the night of the shooting, a witness reported hearing a gunshot and a child screaming, followed by three more gunshots. The witness saw a man, later identified as Harder, carrying a child over his shoulder and fleeing the scene in a white Mercedes-Benz sports utility vehicle.
Harder had dropped off Hurtado's 3-year-old daughter at the biological father's home in West Palm Beach shortly after 11 p.m., telling him that he did not know where Hurtado was after they had gotten into a fight. The father noticed that Harder had scratches on his arms and blood on his feet. The daughter, who had witnessed the fatal shooting, was reportedly confused and traumatized by the event.
Harder later called 911 to turn himself in, confessing to the shooting and stating that he had an argument with his girlfriend. He was taken into custody by the Coral Springs Police and charged with premeditated murder and written threats to kill or do bodily injury. It was revealed that Hurtado had previously reported Harder to the police on July 30 for sending her text messages threatening to kill her.
Following his arrest, Harder was held without bond at the Broward County main jail. He appeared in court, where he was ordered to be held without bond pending further investigation. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department placed Harder on administrative leave without pay and expressed their disappointment and condolences over the incident.
The case highlighted the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of Dayanna Hurtado and the impact on her young daughter, who was left without insurance and in need of support during this grieving period. Relatives set up a GoFundMe page to help the daughter and her family cope with the aftermath of the tragedy.
