DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Gunfire shattered the quiet of Lakeside Village in Daytona Beach on Sunday.
One man was found fatally shot in the parking lot of the 200 block of Ontario Court and three others later turned up at a local hospital with gunshot wounds.
Daytona Beach police on Monday identified the man who died as Andre Lamar Smiley, 36.
“At this time, it is an ongoing investigation, and the identity of the suspect remains unknown,” police said in a news release.
Evelina Brockington was one of the first people to call 911.
“I heard a shot and I said, ‘Call 911.’ But then I said, ‘Let me go look outside.’ And then out in the front was crowded with police officers,” she recalled.
When Daytona Beach police officers arrived, they discovered Smiley on the ground. Despite emergency responders’ efforts, he died at the scene.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
Shortly thereafter, three more gunshot victims arrived at a hospital, according to police.
Two were in critical but stable condition, and the third was treated and released, officials said.
Police later confirmed the shootings were all connected and occurred at Lakeside Village.
“Yes, police were everywhere. I kept coming in and out. So they was here till this morning,” Brockington said.
Looking over the parking lot as she sat in her car, she added: “It was all in here, the crime scene, the field and everything.”
The incident is part of what Brockington told News 6 is a troubling pattern of violence in the area.
“Yes, yes, it’s been a lot,” she said. “It’s been people pulling up, shooting people and right now off of Lancaster Street, it’s been a lot of that here and something needs to be done about it.”
Asked what she believes should be done, Brockington told News 6, “They worry about more drugs, get more killing. Do something like this, killing, and they worry about getting more drug people off the streets, then they kill us, they murder us.”
Despite the violence, she says she does feel a sense of resilience.
“I’ve been here all my life. You can’t do nothing about it… If something come, you deal with it as it come. You know, something is what it is. I feel safe because I’ve been here all my life.”
And as violence continues in Daytona Beach, Brockington says she’s left grappling with grief, frustration, and prayer.
“The best thing I can continue to do is pray. Let God lead the way and do something about it,” Brockington said. “But it takes a lot, it takes a village, they say, you know, so you know what it is.”
Police said the community is not in danger.
“At this time, investigators believe this was an isolated incident and there is no ongoing threat to the community.”
Investigators urge anyone with information about the shooting to contact police at 386 671-5420.
