May 29, 2009
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

TEENAGER INJURED IN SHOOTING IN DELTONA

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is at the scene of a shooting in Deltona involving a teenage victim. Deputies were dispatched to 2821 India Blvd. after receiving a call at 12:51 p.m. about the shooting. The first deputy arrived on-scene at 12:54 p.m.

The victim, a boy who’s believed to be either 16- or 17-years-old, was breathing when deputies arrived and was being airlifted by Sheriff’s Office helicopter to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach. Initial reports indicate that the victim may have accidentally shot himself with a handgun, however deputies are conducting an investigation to confirm the details and determine how the shooting occurred.

Update:

The victim is Dillon Charles, age 16, of Deltona. Dillon sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was breathing when rescue units arrived, but was non-responsive to the verbal commands of the responding deputies. Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears that Dillon accidentally shot himself while handling a revolver. Dillon does not live at the house where the shooting took place. The gun is owned by the mother who lives at the residence. There were two other people at the residence at the time of the shooting -- a 17-year-old boy who lives at the house where the shooting occurred and a 16-year-old boy from DeLand.