he fashion designer who was shot dead in the summer of 1997 was Gianni Versace. He was a renowned Italian designer and the founder of the Versace fashion house. He was shot outside his home in Miami Beach, Florida, on July 15, 1997, by Andrew Cunanan, a serial killer who had previously murdered four other people. The murder of Gianni Versace was a major event in the fashion world and shocked many people around the world.