EDGEWATER, Fla. – Edgewater police arrested a 41-year-old man after a shooting during what investigators call a residential burglary, according to a department news release.
Officers responded around 6 p.m. Sunday to 104 East Yelkca Terrace after a report that a man had been shot. Before officers arrived, the victim’s girlfriend drove him to a hospital for emergency treatment, police said.
Investigators located Christopher Ryan Merritt inside the home. Police said Merritt is the estranged uncle of the victim’s girlfriend and does not live at the residence.
Police said the victim arrived home shortly before the shooting and saw Merritt’s vehicle in the driveway, believing Merritt had unlawfully entered the house. The victim first tried the front door, then moved to a window to make contact with Merritt inside the home.
While inside the residence, Merritt armed himself with a shotgun that belonged to the residents and fired through the window, striking the victim in the right arm and causing a severe injury. The victim was taken to the hospital and was last listed in stable condition, police said.
Officers issued multiple commands for Merritt to exit. When he refused, they forced entry through a window, deployed a Taser, and took him into custody, police said.
Merritt was taken to a hospital for medical clearance and later booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail. He faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery, and resisting arrest without violence.
The investigation remains ongoing.