A Volusia Sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a driver as he tried to flee when deputies approached a car in the parking lot of a Walmart Neighborhood Market in DeLand, according to the sheriff’s office.
The shooting happened about 4:30 a.m. on May 9 in the parking lot of a Walmart Neighborhood Market at 955 S. Woodland Ave., the sheriff’s office stated.
The driver had fled from DeLand Police the previous night.
The driver had nearly hit a pedestrian in downtown DeLand before turning the headlights off, running red lights and fleeing west on State Road 44, the sheriff’s office stated. The driver continued to flee from law enforcement, the sheriff’s office stated.
Deputy shot into car as driver again attempted to flee, sheriff’s office says
The vehicle was spotted about 4:30 a.m. at the Walmart Neighborhood Market.
“The driver again accelerated and attempted to flee as deputies approached the car. One deputy fired a shot through the windshield, striking the driver. The vehicle continued a short distance across the parking lot before it crashed,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The driver was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
The sheriff’s office stated this morning that the shopping center parking lot is closed to the public and that DeLand police and deputies remain at the scene.
Check back on this developing story.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia deputy shoots into car, kills fleeing driver, officials say
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
