ORMOND-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. – An off-duty Edgewater Police Officer was ambushed, shot and killed inside a Circle K gas station Monday afternoon in Ormond-by-the-Sea by a clerk who worked there, according to Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
“An assassination” is how Sheriff Chitwood described the shooting in a Monday night press conference, citing surveillance video of the moments before, during, and after the shooting
What we know:
The shooting was reported around 4 p.m. on Monday at a Circle K gas station near Ocean Shore Blvd. and Wisteria Drive in Ormond-by-the-Sea, VSO said.
Sheriff Chitwood said the off-duty officer, identified as Officer David Jewell, walked into the Circle K convenience store to buy a hot dog and was waiting at the register to pay.
The suspect, an employee at the Circle K and identified as Eduardo Machado, walked out of the Circle K as Jewell walked in, grabbed a jacket from a white Kia, and walked back into the store, Sheriff Chitwood said.
Machado then walked behind Jewell and fired several shots at him from behind, Sheriff Chitwood said, citing the surveillance video. Officer Jewell fell to the ground.
Sheriff Chitwood then said Machado’s gun jammed. He cleared the gun, then fired several more shots after Officer Jewell fell to the ground, he said. Sheriff Chitwood estimated 10-15 shots were fired by the suspect.
Officer Jewell and the suspect knew each other, Sheriff Chitwood said, though their relationship wasn’t clear. He said Officer Jewell was a frequent customer at the Circle K and lived nearby. He added that the suspect knew Jewell was an officer.
Why the shooting happened is unknown and remains under investigation.
Who is David Jewell?
Officer David Jewell joined the Edgewater Police Department in 2023, according to the Edgewater Police Department’s Facebook page.
Before that, he worked in the communications unit for the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Chitwood said.
According to the VSO’s Facebook page, Officer Jewell, then a telecommunicator with VSO, was awarded “Telecomunicator of the Quarter” in 2020.
“Jewell was honored for his calm professionalism during a crash involving two critically injured young patients on May 19, 2020. TC Jewell was praised for his work on a fire dispatch channel for his outstanding job on this call. In addition, he continues to represent the Communications Center in a positive and professional manner.”
“David was a guy that you could rely on for anything.”
What they’re saying:
“Why this occurred is what we’re trying to figure out. But, this was clearly, clearly – the video shows this was an out-and-out assassination.” – Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
“David was a guy that you could rely on for anything. You’d never hear a bad thing about him” – Charles Geiger, Acting Police Chief for Edgewater Police Department.
“The sheriff is right. That’s one of the most evil videos I’ve ever seen,” he said of the surveillance video, which captured the shooting.
