DELAND, Fla. – The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office shared new details about a deputy-involved shooting they said killed a man in a Walmart parking lot in DeLand, following nearly seven hours of reckless driving and multiple encounters with law enforcement.
In a news conference on Monday, the sheriff’s office shared a timeline and compilation of body camera videos showing what led up to the shooting.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the incident began at 9:10 p.m. Friday when a DeLand police officer spotted the driver running without headlights, nearly striking a pedestrian, before speeding away and running multiple red lights. Officers searched for the vehicle for hours before losing track of the driver.
Around 3:40 a.m., deputies relocated the vehicle and followed it into the Walmart parking lot on South Woodland Boulevard. As a deputy approached on foot, the vehicle lurched forward, and the deputy fired one shot through the windshield.
The vehicle traveled a short distance before crashing. The driver, identified as Brandon Joseph Brabin, 29, was pronounced dead at the scene. Brabin had an active probation violation warrant and a criminal history in Florida and Tennessee, Chitwood said.
“He continued to be in the area, wanting it like it was a game, wanting us to chase him, and unfortunately, he ended up dead because of that,” said Chitwood.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating. The involved deputy has been placed in a non-patrol status pending the outcome.