Off-duty Florida officer shot 24 times at gas station; clerk charged with murder after saying he was 'having a bad day'

An off-duty Edgewater, Florida, police officer was shot and killed Monday afternoon at a Circle K gas station in Ormond-by-the-Sea, authorities said, after a gas station attendant allegedly left the store, retrieved a handgun and returned to fire repeatedly at close range.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the victim, Officer David Jewell, 45, was shot 24 times. The sheriff displayed surveillance video at a news conference and described the attack as calculated and deliberate. The suspect, identified by law enforcement as Eduardo Labrada Machado, 24, was arrested and booked on a first-degree murder charge after investigators say he confessed.

According to the sheriff’s office, video shows Jewell enter the store and the suspect exit to his car, retrieve a jacket, return to the store, draw a handgun and shoot Jewell multiple times at point-blank range. Deputies said Machado later told investigators he had seen Jewell at the store several times and believed the two had argued in the past. The defendant said he had been "having a bad day" on his drive to work and thought about shooting Jewell earlier, the sheriff’s office said. Investigators said Machado did not speak to Jewell before opening fire.

Chitwood said the handgun believed to have been used was recovered in Machado’s car. Machado, a legal permanent resident who has lived in the United States for about 10 years, had no prior criminal history on file, the sheriff’s office said, though it noted an earlier law enforcement encounter in 2023 in which Machado fired weapons in a state park. Family members told investigators he had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, the sheriff’s office added.

Jewell had served with the Edgewater Police Department for two years and previously worked for the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake Helen Police Department. He was a father and the sole provider for his family, his colleagues said. Fellow officers set up a GoFundMe to support Jewell’s wife, father-in-law and son; the fundraiser had raised more than $33,000 by Wednesday morning.

Sheriff Chitwood, recounting what he described as the "evil and the calculating-ness of what he did," said the volume of fire and apparent planning demonstrated a brazen attack on an officer who was off duty. Edgewater police and Volusia County homicide investigators are leading the probe, and Chitwood said the video played at the news conference showed part of the sequence of events.

Machado was taken into custody without a publicized immediate court appearance and was charged with first-degree murder. The sheriff’s office said the investigation remains active as detectives process evidence, interview witnesses and prepare the case for prosecution. Authorities have not released additional specifics about the pair’s alleged prior interactions beyond the suspect’s statements to investigators.

The shooting has drawn condemnation from local officials and law enforcement colleagues and renewed focus on officer safety when out of uniform. The investigation will determine whether additional charges or federal inquiries are warranted. No further details about the suspect’s motive beyond his statement about having a bad day have been released, and authorities cautioned against speculation as they continue to gather evidence and witness accounts.

The community response has included public condolences, vigils and the fundraising drive to help Jewell’s surviving family. Law enforcement officials said they would provide support to the family and pursue the case through the criminal justice system.