A TikTok star — self-dubbed the “wig influencer” — was shot dead by her longtime boyfriend in Florida after the couple got into a heated argument inside his car.
Maurice Harrison, 21, who went by @Girlalala across social media, was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside the passenger seat of a vehicle in Lauderdale Lakes on Friday at around 7 p.m., the Broward Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
The social media star was rushed to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead, authorities said.
Maurice Harrison was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside the passenger seat of a vehicle in Lauderdale Lakes on Friday. @_girlalalala/Instagram
The suspected killer — Harrison’s boyfriend of seven years, Shanoyd Whyte Jr. — was arrested at the scene, where police also recovered a firearm.
Investigators determined that the couple had been “engaged in a verbal argument which turned physical while inside of Whyte Jr.’s vehicle,” prior to the shooting.
“At some point, the victim was shot while sitting in the car,” police said.
Surveillance footage is believed to have captured Harrison’s final moments before she was shot and killed, NBC Miami reported.
In the footage, Whyte Jr., 25, is seen stepping out of his car with what appears to be a gun as the influencer leans out of the passenger door, before he walks over and pushes her back inside.
Shanoyd Whyte Jr., 25, is facing a first-degree murder charge for the murder of Harrison. Broward Sheriff’s Office
Whyte Jr. — a former defensive lineman on the football team at Bethune-Cookman University — is currently locked up at the Broward County Jail and is being held without bond.
He has been charged with first-degree murder with a firearm.
Harrison, a hairstylist from Pompano Beach, Fla., amassed more than 235,000 followers on TikTok before the account was deactivated, according to NBC Miami.
Her still-active Instagram page has over 41,000 followers.
She was known to her fans for her colorful, creative hairstyles and referred to herself as a “wig influencer” in her TikTok bio.
The 21-year-old influencer went by @Girlalala across social media. @_girlalalala/Instagram
A GoFundMe was launched by her family to help with the TikTok star’s funeral expenses.
One of the donations included a $5,000 gift from City Girls rapper JT.
The rapper, 32, also paid a touching tribute to Harrison on her Instagram, posting a clip of them having fun onstage at a nightclub.
“Rest beautiful girlala! We love you & Heaven will never be boring now that you are there, your boldness, energy, humor & beauty will be missed! You never missed a chance to show me love & for that I’m forever grateful,” JT wrote.
She was known to her fans for her colorful, creative hairstyles and referred to herself as a “wig influencer” in her TikTok bio. @_girlalalala/Instagram
“I’m sorry this happened to you!”
The “Girls Gone Wild” rapper included the hashtags “#protecttranswomen” and “#protectblackwomen,” and called on her followers to “protect feminism as a whole!” in the post.
In the wake of her death, fans circulated past videos suggesting Harrison and Whyte Jr. had a tumultuous, toxic relationship, NBC Miami reported.
One video showed her with a cut on her nose and under her eye, claiming that they were always fighting.
If found guilty of first-degree murder with a firearm, Whyte Jr. could face a maximum sentence of either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole under Florida law.