(This story was updated with new information.)
A Circle K employee with mental health issues who shot to death an off-duty Edgewater Police officer in Ormond-by-the-Sea confessed to the killing, saying he was “having a bad day on his drive to work” and thought about shooting the man earlier, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
Circle K employee Eduardo Labrada Machado, 24, was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of David Jewell inside the Circle K at Wisteria Drive and Ocean Shore Boulevard.
Jewell, 45, was an Edgewater Police officer who was off-duty at the time he was shot. He stopped at the Circle K to get some food, according to Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
Jewell was also a former telecommunicator at the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, where he was recognized as telecommunicator of the quarter in 2020.
Jewell was sworn in as an Edgewater Police officer in 2023.
Machado was being held without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail, where he his first appearance was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sept. 16, after The News-Journal went to print.
Machado told investigators this wasn’t the first time he thought about shooting Jewell, according to the sheriff’s office.
Machado said he had “seen Jewell in the store several times” but he did not indicate that he knew Jewell was a police officer or if he had ever seen him wearing his uniform.
Machado said he had seen Jewell with a gun in the past and “was afraid of him,” the sheriff’s office stated.
Machado also said he believed he had had an argument with Jewell “at some point in the past.” But he couldn’t provide any details.
Jewell walked into the Circle K just after 4 p.m. on Sept. 15. Machado then got a gun from his vehicle and walked back into the store and shot Jewell multiple times, Chitwood said at a press conference on Sept. 15.
“He walks up behind David and fires multiple shots into David’s head,” Chitwood said. “When David goes to the ground, the gun jams. He stands over top of him, clears the gun, and then probably fires another seven or eight shots. There’s 10 or 12, 15, shots into David’s head.”
Machado did not say anything to Jewell before shooting him. Machado used a handgun he had recently purchased and shot Jewell multiple times at close range, the sheriff’s office stated.
The gun Machado used was found inside a jacket in the back seat of Machado’s vehicle, the sheriff’s office stated.
Jewell lived near the store.
The homicide investigation is continuing.
Critical incident stress support has been provided to Jewell’s colleagues. The sheriff’s office offered its sincere condolences to Jewell’s family, friends and the Edgewater Police Department.
Machado’s family told investigators he was ‘hearing voices’
Machado had been diagnosed in the past with a mental health disorder, and had also “indicated he was hearing voices,” according to his family members, the sheriff’s office stated.
Machado’s family members said “he was quiet and played a lot of video games. They were not aware of any homicidal threats or anti-law enforcement ideologies on his part.”
Machado is a legal resident of the United States and has lived “here” for 10 years, the sheriff’s office stated. It is unclear if “here” referred to Volusia County or the U.S. as a whole.
Machado does not have a criminal history. He had a single encounter with law enforcement, which the sheriff’s office stated was a weapons complaint about his firing guns at Tomoka State Park.
Machado cited for firing guns near Tomoka State Park
Machado was cited for firing guns on Jan. 5, 2022, from Old Dixie Highway just north of the bridge next to Tomoka State Park. Machado drove away when a park ranger approached his Kia SUV but the ranger saw what appeared to be a rifle in the car. Numerous shell casings from rifles and handguns were scattered across the road.
An abandoned barge in the water nearby appeared to have been shot numerous times. The outpost camp store and boat rental area at Tomoka State Park was in the line of fire from a rifle but no bullet strikes were found on the building, the report stated.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers found Machado at his residence in Ormond Beach and he admitted to shooting in the area, the report stated.
Machado had two rifles and two handguns inside his Kia SUV: an AK-47: a Winchester bolt action rifle: a Glock 10 mm handgun; and a Smith and Wesson 9 mm handgun, the report stated. All the weapons belonged to Machado.
Machado admitted to shooting two 30-round magazines from the AK-47, which is an assault style rifle.
All four firearms were seized.
Machado was cited for discharging firearms in public or on residential property, which is a first-degree misdemeanor.
Machado was also issued a non-criminal citation for shooting weapons into park areas from beyond park boundaries.
Machado completed a deferred prosecution agreement and the misdemeanor charge was dropped.
The agreement required Machado to provide proof of completion of a firearm safety education course. He was also required to pay $75 to “Florida Wild Alert” and $100 to the State Attorney’s Office for the cost of prosecution.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Circle K employee who killed off-duty police officer was ‘hearing voices,’ family says
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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