Man Dies After Deputy Shoots Driver Fleeing Police in Walmart Parking Lot

A man is dead following a deputy-involved shooting early Saturday morning outside a Neighborhood Market Walmart on South Woodland Boulevard, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

The shooting shut down the parking lot for several hours as multiple agencies, including the DeLand Police Department, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, investigated the scene.

According to investigators, the incident began Friday night when a reckless driver fled from DeLand police and nearly struck a pedestrian in downtown DeLand. The driver then sped west on State Road 44, running red lights along the way.

Around 4:30 a.m. Saturday, deputies located the vehicle—described as a champagne Nissan Altima—parked at the Walmart. As deputies approached the car, officials say the driver tried to flee again by stepping on the gas.

At that moment, a deputy fired through the windshield, striking the driver. The sheriff’s office said the car kept rolling after the driver was shot and eventually crashed in a corner of the parking lot. The driver was transported to a hospital, where he later died.

Bystander Kellianne Washington stopped to see the scene on her way to work. “Honestly, I just thought it was crazy,” she said.

Shopper Kenzie Gordon, who was shaken by the incident, told reporters, “It’s unraveling to come and you can’t even pull into the parking lot. I mean, you see things online, but this is reality. This is just too close.”

The Walmart reopened around 10:00 a.m. Saturday. The investigation remains ongoing.