Man accused of Fort Lauderdale murder responsible for shooting another woman, police say

Nearly a month after police arrested a man for killing a woman and leaving her body next to a dumpster in Fort Lauderdale, police say he is also responsible for shooting someone else the same day.

According to Fort Lauderdale Police, Altavious Powell shot a woman before murdering Daneshia Heller last month.

On Monday, police linked Powell to a Feb. 17 shooting where the victim survived.

The next day, investigators said they found Heller’s dead body by a dumpster and covered with cardboard. Police said Powell shot and killed her in a vacant apartment and found his DNA inside the home.

At the time, police wanted to clear up internet rumors about a possible serial killer in the city.

“I know there’s some stuff on social media, I’ll start off by saying we do not have a serial killer in Fort Lauderdale,” Fort Lauderdale Police Homicide Sgt. Don Geiger told reporters at the time.

Police even posted a video on social media saying they were not searching for a serial killer.

Att first, the victim did not want to cooperate or give information, which delayed detectives’ investigation, police said.

According to an arrest report, detectives watched surveillance video showing Powell and Heller walk inside the apartment, but she never left. The report said the video shows Powell later dragging a heavy object towards the dumpster.

Detectives met with the mother of Powell’s child, the report said, and she showed them text messages between her and Powell where he confessed to killing two women.

However, the latest from police is that Powell killed one woman and tried to kill another.

Powell now faces additional charges of attempted first-degree murder and attempted felony murder.