ORMOND-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. – Volusia County Sheriff’s Office body camera video shows some of the efforts deputies made to get a man to stop shooting at homes in an Ormond-by-the-Sea neighborhood Thursday.
A SWAT sniper eventually shot and killed the man at the Kingston Shores condominiums, after he fired multiple rounds outside of a condo and at neighboring units.
The video shows deputies arriving in the neighborhood, and multiple shots can be heard throughout the video. We want to warn you that the video in the streaming player above may be disturbing for some viewers.
[If you or someone you know is having a mental health crisis, dial 988 | For veterans, dial 1-800-273-8255 and press 1]
The video also shows deputies evacuating neighbors and trying to talk to the gunman to get him to stop shooting and accept mental health help.
“You can solve a lot of stuff that’s going on by just talking to someone that you don’t know, and doesn’t have any judgments on you,” a deputy is heard saying. “I’m not judging you, OK? Because I don’t know you.”
The sheriff’s office said the gunman was a military veteran from Connecticut who had had a series of extreme mental health episodes that included threats to his family.
“We were out there three times in the last four days. I think we were out there for a well-being check, they were out there to serve the ex-parte order that had not been signed and then we were out there for the medical issue earlier this morning, and obviously right there when (he) started firing shots,” said Sheriff Mike Chitwood Thursday.
[RELATED: How to get mental health help in Central Florida | Trying to convince someone to get help? Remember these tips]
Eventually, the video shows a vehicle taking off the front of the condo.
Deputies say they found two Thompson submachine guns, a .45 caliber handgun and a 12-gauge shotgun in the condo, and the gunman had fired an estimated 200 rounds of ammunition. some condo units were damaged, but no one was hurt.
“These @VolusiaSheriff deputies ran toward the gunshots, got innocent people out of harm’s way & did everything they could to end this peacefully. Very proud of their efforts and thankful no one else was injured or worse,” Chitwood posted on X.com Friday.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident.
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