December 6, 2008
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

SHERIFF’S OFFICE OBTAINS ARREST WARRANT IN FATAL SHOOTING  

Volusia County Sheriffs’ investigators are searching for a 31-year-old suspect accused of shooting a man to death Friday night in the parking lot of a Sunoco on S.R. 415. The Sheriff’s Office’s Major Case Unit obtained an arrest warrant overnight charging David Jerome Wright, Jr. of Osteen with 1st-degree murder. The victim has been identified as 24-year-old Christopher Joseph Mclellan, also of Osteen. Although the two knew each other, the cause of the fatal confrontation is still unknown.  

At least five people witnessed the shooting, which occurred shortly after 7 p.m. One of the witnesses, an 18-year-old who knew the victim, said he was gassing up his truck alongside of Mclellan, who also was pumping gas. The two friends were talking when all of a sudden, the suspect sped into the parking lot, got out of his truck, pulled a ski mask over his face and whipped out a gun. The suspect struck the 18-year-old on the side of his head with the gun, and the victim ran into the woods in fear for his life. Witnesses said the suspect was yelling at Mclellan and chasing him around the parking lot as he fired at the victim. Mclellan collapsed on the ground, and the suspect fired the last rounds into the victim while standing over his body. The suspect then fled the scene in a black Ford pickup truck. Mclellan sustained approximately five bullet wounds to the chest, back and legs. Paramedics with Volusia County Fire Services and EVAC ambulance treated Mcclellan and prepared him for the ambulance transport to Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The victim who was pistol-whipped wasn’t seriously injured and didn’t require medical treatment.  

Witnesses told the first responding deputies that they recognized the shooter as a man named Dave who lived nearby. The store clerk also recognized the suspect and said he was a regular at the store. The information, vehicle description and other evidence led deputies to quickly identify the suspect as Wright, who lives less than a mile from the scene of the shooting. After interviewing the witnesses and piecing together the chain of events, Sheriff’s investigators presented their findings to Circuit Court Judge Raul Zambrano, who signed the arrest warrant. Deputies were still searching for Wright early Saturday afternoon.