Daytona Beach Spring Break shooting injures 2, police say

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A shooting Saturday night near a beach-side hotel in Daytona Beach has left two 19-year-old men injured, police say. A witness video shared with FOX 35 News showed dozens of people running amidst the chaos of the incident. 

What led to the shooting?

What we know:

Law enforcement officers from both the Daytona Beach Police Department and the Volusia County Sheriff's Office responded to the area of 300 North Atlantic Ave. around 7:30 p.m. on March 15 after receiving 911 calls about a shooting. 

The address is near the Ocean Walk vacation club and hotel, which is only a few minute walk from the iconic Daytona Beach Bandshell. It is a popular area for locals and tourists to visit when at Daytona Beach.

Police said the two people hurt were transported to Halifax Medical Center, where they are currently in stable condition.

What we don't know:

Police said the exact circumstances leading to the shooting remain unclear. 

However, preliminary findings suggest that the victims and the suspect(s) were previously known to each other. It is also believed that all parties involved were attendees of an unsanctioned "Beach Day" event in the area.

Witness video captures incident

What they're saying:

FOX 35 cameras captured police officers and detectives searching areas around the hotel property.

Stallone Bullard was on the balcony of his hotel room taking video of the beach and the ocean, when the shooting apparently happened below. In his video, which he shared with FOX 35, you can hear several pops, followed by people on the beach running away. 

FOX 35's Stephanie Buffamonte talked with Bullard on Saturday night following the incident.

Gabriel Dias, another witness of the event, said he was drinking coffee when he heard a string of pops.

"I came outside and saw everybody running," he said. "We were planning to go out yesterday night and just scratched all that."

"They didn't immediately shut down the area; we noticed that," witness Colten Kicthen said. "We were able to walk around, and then they kicked us out. Tons of fights yesterday. We're staying on the 17th floor here. So, we witnessed tons of fights, and it was just not a good scene yesterday, so we tried to stay up in our room."

Karen Moore, a visitor in the area, read FOX 35's Matt Trezza a text from the staff at her hotel: "Due to an incident on property, the Daytona Police Department has asked for every guest to remain inside their rooms until further notice. Once they have given us the all-clear, we will notify everyone."

What you can do:

Officials said several witnesses have been interviewed, and the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to contact the Daytona Beach Police Department by calling (386) 671-5100.

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