'He wanted them dead,' police chief says of Daytona Beach triple shooting suspect

1 dead, 2 hurt after shooting along U.S. 1

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – One man was killed and two others were hurt Thursday morning in a triple shooting at a Daytona Beach hotel that started out of revenge, police said.

The men were found shortly after 2:15 a.m. outside the Sun Plaza Motel on U.S. 1, according to authorities.

A man who called 911 also said that he was recording video when the shooting happened.

"Three people were shot, they're laying on the ground," the man said.

Daytona Beach officers said the suspected gunman, 40-year-old Marcus Pinckney, bolted from the scene after some sort of dispute over money led to the deadly gunfire. Investigators said they have clear surveillance video and physical evidence that led them to believe Pinckney was their suspect.

Pinckney was taken into custody Thursday morning after he was found hiding out with his ex-girlfriend, according to police.

"He confessed to the crime and when we confronted him and told him the other two were in the hospital, he said, 'They're not dead?' So, in my mind, that means he wanted them dead," Daytona Beach police Chief Craig Capri said.

Police said 57-year-old Tracy Height did not survive. One of the other victims, Trevon Height, is his son. A third man, Robert Singleton, was also shot, according to a news release.

Capri said Pinckney went to the motel to get back at the men for allegedly stealing from him. 

"He thought they were ripping him off and stealing from him," Capri said of the suspect.

The third victim may be partially blind, according to police. Investigators did not say whether his visual impairment was a result of the gunfire or if he had previously had trouble with his vision.

Police said the surviving victims were taken to Halifax Health Medical Center, where they were believed to be in stable condition.

 


About the Authors:

Ezzy Castro is a multimedia journalist on News 6's morning team who has a passion for telling the stories of the people in the Central Florida community. Ezzy worked at WFOR CBS4 in South Florida and KBMT in Beaumont, Texas, where she covered Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Being from Miami, Ezzy loves Cuban coffee and croquetas!

Mark Lehman became a News 6 reporter in July 2014, but he's been a Central Florida journalist and part of the News 6 team for much longer. While most people are fast asleep in their bed, Mark starts his day overnight by searching for news on the streets of Central Florida.

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