DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A shooting in Daytona Beach left one person dead Friday, prompting a nearby children’s center to suspend its after-school program for the day as police searched for the person responsible.
Daytona Beach police officers were called to the 700 block of School Street just before noon after receiving reports of a shooting. Officers found a person suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
No suspect had been identified publicly Friday night.
The shooting happened just steps from the Rose Marie Bryon Children’s Center, where more than 40 children participate in an after-school program. Center leaders quickly contacted parents and arranged to pick up children from school before they arrived at the center.
“I gave all the parents a call, telling them we would be down at the school to pick up the children from there because it was an active crime scene,” said Janet Elam-Bryant, the center’s executive director.
Elam-Bryant said the center has served as a safe place for children for decades while their parents are at work. She said the violence in the surrounding area has made safety an ongoing concern.
“Often, there are things going on in the area, and we go through our routine of lockdowns,” Elam-Bryant said. “We lock down the center, lock the gates, lock the children inside.”
The latest shooting, she said, was especially troubling because of how close it occurred to the children’s center.
“It’s very disheartening,” Elam-Bryant said. “It’s sickening.”
The center’s leadership is now urging the community to find ways to resolve conflicts without violence.
“We need to learn how to get along around here and stop all the violence,” Elam-Bryant said.
With no arrest made, anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Daytona Beach police.