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Sheriff: Water Bottles, Not Gunfire, Triggered Daytona Beach Spring Break Panic

Police continue probing four shooting cases elsewhere in Daytona Beach, with detectives reviewing videos and asking the public for information.

Overview

  • Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said there were zero shots on the sand and blamed the beach run on bottle-crushing noises mistaken for gunfire.
  • Daytona Beach police are investigating four separate shootings from March 13–14 at locations off the beach, with three people wounded and expected to recover.
  • Investigators say none of the confirmed shootings occurred on the beach or are linked to the viral footage of crowds fleeing along the shoreline.
  • Law enforcement reported about 133 arrests across Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach and six weapons seized during the unsanctioned, social-media-driven gathering.
  • In a separate incident, South Daytona Officer Jake Fessenden was shot during a Sunday pursuit; suspect Todd Martin, 31, was critically injured after barricading himself in a burning patrol vehicle.