A gas station employee shot an off-duty Edgewater police officer multiple times in Ormond-by-the-Sea.
TAMPA, Fla. — An off-duty police officer lost his life at a Circle K gas station when an employee shot and killed him, reportedly confessing to detectives that he had pondered the act during his commute to work.
The accused, 24-year-old Eduardo Felipe Labrada Machado, allegedly shot 45-year-old Officer David Jewell in the head multiple times at approximately 4 p.m. on Monday in Ormond-by-the-Sea.
According to Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies, surveillance footage captured Machado exiting the store shortly after Jewell entered. Machado is seen retrieving a jacket from his car before returning to fatally shoot Jewell. The firearm used was later discovered inside the jacket on the car’s back seat.
“The video is probably something that, in my 38 years of law enforcement, I can tell you – it’s unbelievable what you see in that video,” stated Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
Machado mentioned to authorities that he had encountered Jewell several times at the store, leading to a confrontation. He expressed that he had seen Jewell carrying a gun in the past, which made him fearful.
Officials reported that Machado admitted to having a rough day on his way to work and entertained the thought of shooting Jewell earlier. Upon meeting Jewell at the station, he acted on this impulse, using a handgun to fire multiple shots at close range.
Jewell had been with the Edgewater Police Department since 2023 and was a former Volusia County Sheriff’s Office telecommunicator, according to officials.
“David was a guy that we could rely on for anything, never heard a bad thing about him, and he’s going to be a tremendous loss to the Edgewater Police Department,” Edgewater Police Chief Charles Geiger said in a media briefing at the scene.
Machado’s family members told law enforcement in interviews that the suspect was diagnosed with a mental health disorder in the past and said he heard voices. Family members described him as quiet and that he played a lot of video games.
Officials said he doesn’t have a criminal history and had one prior encounter with law enforcement for a weapons complaint about him shooting guns at a state park in 2023.
Machado was booked into the county jail without bond on a first-degree murder charge.
The homicide investigation is continuing, and evidence is being processed and analyzed, according to officials.
