- March 16, 2026
It was a busy weekend in Daytona Beach and Volusia County, with five separate shooting incidents, multiple events, over 100 arrests and Spring Break crowds filling the beaches.
Several social media posts went viral over the March 14-15 weekend, claiming shots were fired on the beaches in Daytona Beach among crowds of people. In a press conference on March 16, Sheriff Mike Chitwood said those widespread videos were false.
“There were zero gunshots on the beach,” Chitwood said. “What they were doing was crushing a water bottle to make it sound like a gunshot to stampede the crowd.”
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office made 133 arrests in Spring Break crowds over the March 14-15 weekend, 84 in the Daytona Beach area and 49 in New Smyrna Beach. The beach is under the jurisdiction of the VSO.
From Main Street to Seabreeze Boulevard, there were over 50 deputies inside the beach crowd, including Chitwood. Everyone the VSO came in contact with was polite, he said.
The VSO was busy covering multiple events over the weekend, including crowds of about 2,000 people at the Hands Up Guns Down event at the Volusia County Fairgrounds and Big Daddy's Block Party in the Spring Hill area of DeLand, a VSO press release said.
Six weapons were seized during the weekend arrests, Chitwood said, but people need to understand that it is legal for people to carry a gun, concealed or otherwise in Florida, so long as they are of-age. Law enforcement came across many beachgoers carrying firearms who were allowed to do so, he said.
“It doesn’t matter the color of your skin,” Chitwood said. “It’s a new generation in dealing with Spring Break. If they’re legal to possess a firearm, they can carry it concealed or they can carry it open.”
There were four separate shootings in Daytona Beach over the course of the day on March 14. No one was killed though several were injured in these unrelated incidents.
In three cases, the suspects are still at large, as of a March 16 Daytona Beach Police Department press release.
The first shooting took place at 12:36 a.m. at The Joint, located at 308 Seabreeze Blvd. According to witness reports, several women in the bar sprayed mace at a man who had become aggressive.
The man then fired his gun and the other patrons panicked and fled the building. No one was injured by the gun, though several people were injured in the mass exit, the press release said. It’s believed those involved were visitors to Daytona Beach, not residents.
At 12:44 a.m. at 244 N. Nova Road in Daytona Beach, officers on patrol were flagged down by a group of people stating someone had been shot, the press release said. DBPD officers rendered aid until the victim was taken to the hospital. As of March 16, the victim is in stable condition.
The DBPD believes the shooter, who remains unidentified, is not local. The victim is also from out of town.
At 10:47 p.m., near Kingston and Flinders Avenues, the DBPD received calls that one person had been shot. The victim had two gunshot wounds and DBPD officers rendered first aid until emergency medical personnel arrived on scene to take the victim to a hospital, the press release said.
Preliminary reports indicate the shooting happened during an argument. The suspect is still unidentified and at large as of March 16.
At around 11:16 p.m. on South Atlantic Avenue, a large, multi-person fight broke out in front of Cruisin’ Cafe. One person pulled out a firearm and began shooting, hitting one person.
The victim was taken to the hospital and the DBPD is still working to identify and locate the suspect.
All four investigations remain active.
If anyone has information on the shootings, they are encouraged to contact either DBPD Det. Luis Campoverde at [email protected] or 386-671-5232, or Det. Andre Walker at [email protected] or 386-671-5229. Anonymous tips can be submitted by either texting DBTIPS to 274637 or calling Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS (8477).
In the early hours of March 15, South Daytona Police Department Officer Jake Fessenden, 23, was shot twice in the arm while assisting Port Orange police in pursuing a shooting suspect.
Port Orange Police Department officers chased a shooting suspect from Country Lane onto Interstate 95, with support from several SDPD officers. The suspect crashed his car on I-95 near Beville Road and Interstate 4, according to a Facebook post from the POPD.
The suspect, Todd Martin, 31, of Port Orange, then opened fire on police, hitting Fessenden twice. Martin was struck by return fire from police.
Martin then attempted to steal a patrol car, barricading himself inside as both cars caught fire, the Facebook posts said. Police officers and VSO deputies pulled Martin from the burning vehicle.
In addition to the gunshot, Martin sustained extensive burns to the lower portion of his body and was still on fire when he was pulled from the vehicle, the POPD Facebook post said. He and Fessenden were taken to the hospital.
Fessenden was in stable condition as of late afternoon on March 15. No one was injured in the initial shooting Martin is a suspect in.
