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SWAT sniper kills man who fired 200 shots at Florida homes, deputies say
Read full article: SWAT sniper kills man who fired 200 shots at Florida homes, deputies sayA sniper with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team shot and killed a man accused of shooting at condo units and law enforcement near Ormond-By-The-Sea on Thanksgiving, according to Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
Florida education leaders want parents to face consequences when students make school threats, false reports
Read full article: Florida education leaders want parents to face consequences when students make school threats, false reportsFlorida education leaders want parents to be reminded annually that they can face consequences if their children report false threats of violence.
Sheriff’s posting of the mugshot of a Florida boy accused of school threat draws praise, criticism
Read full article: Sheriff’s posting of the mugshot of a Florida boy accused of school threat draws praise, criticismCommunities nationwide are being battered by a wave of school shooting threats, with emergency notifications and group chat messages sparking parents’ fears their child’s school could be the next Parkland or Uvalde.
Florida sheriff fed up with school shooting hoaxes posts boy's mugshot to social media
Read full article: Florida sheriff fed up with school shooting hoaxes posts boy's mugshot to social mediaA Florida sheriff fed up with a spate of false school shooting threats is taking a new tactic to try get through to students and their parents: he’s posting the mugshot of any offender on social media.
29-year-old man met 12-year-old on popular app, assaulted her, Volusia County sheriff says
Read full article: 29-year-old man met 12-year-old on popular app, assaulted her, Volusia County sheriff saysA man from Cocoa Beach is in jail after investigators said he used an app to meet a 12-year-old girl for sex twice. The sheriff said the man posed as a teenager using the popular app Wink.
‘I hope he enjoys his stay’: Volusia sheriff eager to welcome man charged with threatening him to Florida
Read full article: ‘I hope he enjoys his stay’: Volusia sheriff eager to welcome man charged with threatening him to FloridaVolusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood told The Morning Show on Thursday that he refuses to be intimidated, despite online threats from hate groups.
‘Like a bomb has gone off:’ Volusia County faces disastrous beach erosion, more building collapses after Nicole
Read full article: ‘Like a bomb has gone off:’ Volusia County faces disastrous beach erosion, more building collapses after NicoleSeveral buildings have collapsed along the east coast of Florida due to Hurricane Nicole, which brought with it intense winds and waves.
US Marshals join manhunt for gunman accused of shooting Daytona Beach police officer
Read full article: US Marshals join manhunt for gunman accused of shooting Daytona Beach police officerA massive manhunt is underway for the man suspected to shooting a Daytona Beach police officer in the head Wednesday night.
What can be done about policing in America? Episode 1 of ‘Solutionaries’ tackles this very question
Read full article: What can be done about policing in America? Episode 1 of ‘Solutionaries’ tackles this very questionIt’s probably a word you’ve never heard before, but it’s not made up: A Solutionary is someone who recognizes a problem or injustice in society, and comes up with creative and innovative ways to tackle those inequities, thus making the world a better place, one step at a time.
Girl wounded in shootout with deputies facing adult charges
Read full article: Girl wounded in shootout with deputies facing adult chargesA 14-year-old girl who was wounded earlier this month during a shootout with deputies after escaping a juvenile facility and breaking into a Florida home with a 12-year-old boy will be charged as an adult.
Sheriff says Juvenile Justice system not equipped for violent teens
Read full article: Sheriff says Juvenile Justice system not equipped for violent teensAfter 12- and 14-year-olds opened fire on his deputies Tuesday night, Volusia County’s sheriff is lashing out at Florida’s Juvenile Justice system, saying it is not equipped to handle the crimes that some children are committing these days.
12-, 14-year-olds use AK-47, other guns to shoot at Volusia deputies
Read full article: 12-, 14-year-olds use AK-47, other guns to shoot at Volusia deputiesTwo foster children broke into a Volusia County home Tuesday night, then used guns they found inside the residence -- including an AK-47 -- to repeatedly fire at deputies for about 30 minutes, sheriff’s officials told WKMG-TV.
Deputies shoot 14-year-old Florida girl who they say pointed gun at them
Read full article: Deputies shoot 14-year-old Florida girl who they say pointed gun at themA Florida sheriff says his deputies did everything they could to de-escalate the situation after a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy broke into a home, found weapons and opened fire on officers.
Florida suspect kills Wisconsin siblings in wrong-way crash
Read full article: Florida suspect kills Wisconsin siblings in wrong-way crashA 21-year-old man from Omro, Wisconsin, and his 18-year-old sister were killed in the head-on collision, and two of their relatives in the backseat were seriously injured. Bodycam video posted on YouTube by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office shows a deputy chasing the suspect and detailing his speeds and maneuvers. The deputy jumps off the chase when the driver hits his brakes and heads the wrong way up the interstate. Chitwood said the Wisconsin family just missed their exit just before the crash happened. The driver then fled, got on the interstate and weaved between cars at high speed with its lights off, Chitwood said.
Volusia County Sheriff says he has coronavirus
Read full article: Volusia County Sheriff says he has coronavirusVOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood has tested positive for COVID-19. A tweet from the sheriffs office said on Friday that he is home and will quarantine for 14 days. Sheriff Chitwood has tested positive for covid-19 and is self-quarantining for 14 days. We are wishing him a quick recovery and will continue to work hard while hes out sick for the first time in 33 years!Chief Joseph Gallagher will be in command while the sheriff is out, WESH reported.
Why Volusia County sheriff quickly releases bodycam video
Read full article: Why Volusia County sheriff quickly releases bodycam videoJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Less than 100 miles south of Jacksonville, where people are demanding the release of body camera footage recorded by officers during police-involved shootings, Volusia County’s sheriff has shown success quickly making public such footage from his department. Deputy-involved shooting: 5/12/20 *WARNING: Contains video footage of a fatal shooting* Body camera and Air One video footage of this week’s deputy-involved shooting of an armed suspect in Deltona is provided here. even if it’s bad.”That’s been Chitwood’s philosophy on police-worn cameras since 2012, first as Daytona Beach Police Chief and now Volusia County sheriff. “Even when people had a complaint and they came in and viewed the body camera video and ... say, ‘Well, that’s not how I perceive what happened.‘”How does his department handle releasing body camera video that clearly shows his deputies violating police department standards and procedures? Chitwood said being transparent and releasing body camera footage goes a long way in putting credit in your bank account, so to speak.
Police respond to large crowds, shooting in Daytona Beach
Read full article: Police respond to large crowds, shooting in Daytona BeachEverybody came to the beach,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said at a Sunday news conference. “If someone out there wants to ask a stupid social distancing question, social distancing is not a crime. The helicopter images of the crowds in Daytona Beach showed groups scattering when officers arrived, but another large group then gathered around a different vehicle. Coronavirus social distancing rules in the state and Volusia County state that people must be in groups of 10 or fewer. Beaches elsewhere also saw major Memorial Day weekend crowds that prompted law enforcement to turn away beachgoers.
Deputies hit by bottles at massive block party in Volusia County
Read full article: Deputies hit by bottles at massive block party in Volusia CountyDELAND, Fla. – Deputies said they were hit with cups of alcohol, bottles and bar stools after they made arrests at a weekend block party involving thousands of party-goers, officials reported Monday. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office estimated 3,000 people were at the outdoor party spanning several locations in DeLand that started Saturday afternoon and lasted until early Sunday. A deputy injured his knee, and an police officer who was hit by a jar had a minor head injury, the sheriff's office said. A passenger in a vehicle pointed a rifle or shotgun in the direction of a deputy and pedestrians gathered at a gas station, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies were at the block party for crowd control and to keep cars from blocking traffic, not for enforcing social distancing as a result of the coronavirus, the sheriff's office said.
After 30 years, two murder victims in Volusia County identified through DNA
Read full article: After 30 years, two murder victims in Volusia County identified through DNAVolusia County sheriff’s spokesman Andrew Gant said that John Doe 1986 has been identified as Howard “Kip” Evans, and Jane Doe 1991 was identified as Doris Regina Chavers. Volusia County sheriff’s investigators worked Evans’ case, following various leads and tips throughout the years, but were unable to get his identification so Evans’ case went cold and became known only as “John Doe 1986,” Gant said. The Medical Examiner’s Office is working with Evans’ family for the release of his remains, Gant said. In Chavers’ case, the woman was last seen alive at her mother’s Sanford home in August 1989. Volusia detectives contacted Chavers’ daughter to deliver the news and said she was relieved that her mother had been found, authorities said.