Woman kills live-in boyfriend after tomahawk incident, says it was self-defense

59-year-old woman isn’t facing charges, according to Sheriff’s Office

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A Daytona Beach woman told police she was in bed late Christmas Eve when her live-in boyfriend raised a tomahawk over her -- so she shot the man to death, she told detectives.

Authorities with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office are now investigating. Deputies were called to the home, on San Jose Boulevard, about 11:45 p.m. Thursday, according to a news release.

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The woman, age 59, isn’t facing any charges.

She reported she grabbed a gun that was next to the bed and shot her partner, now identified as 60-year-old Troy Sorrell.

It was in self-defense, the woman told investigators, as she feared Sorrell was about to strike her with the tomahawk as he held it over his head, the news release said.

At the scene, detectives found the gun, a shell casing and a tomahawk with a handle about 2 feet long, according to authorities.

The woman previously had an injunction against Sorrell from 2015 until January 2020. Deputies went to their home in October after the woman reported Sorrell was wearing military gear and carrying around a gun. No one was injured in that incident; the woman told deputies Sorrell was protecting the home and she did not feel threatened by him, officials said.

The deadly shooting remains under investigation, and no further information or records are available for release, according to investigators.


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