DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The city of Daytona Beach is experiencing an increase in “gun-related incidents,” and the police department is beefing up resources and staffing to address the problem.
Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young on Wednesday held a news conference where he announced the arrests in several recent shootings. He said more arrests will come in the near future, but they also need the community to report any suspicious activity to help them lock up additional suspects.
The chief did not reveal every detail for security reasons on how his department was tackling the gun violence but said they are working with neighboring communities to provide intel.
“The Daytona Beach Police Department is mobilizing additional resources to implement target strategies to address this uptick in gun violence,” Young said.
There has been a couple dozen shootings so far this year in Daytona Beach with seven ending in death. In many of these cases, Young said the shooters knew their targets, so these were not random shootings.
“Some of them are retaliation, but when you look at the totality of everything, there are a few connections,” Young said.
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Young said in one case, they learned a homicide victim in January was not the intended target for the shooting on Tucker Street. He said that suspect, who was arrested, was driving a black SUV found at the scene of another shooting on Maple Street three months later.
For some of the cases that are still open, the chief said they may have made an arrest, but more will come.
He pointed out the May 31 shooting where Taj Butler was gunned down in the middle of traffic on Nova Road. Devonte Smokes was arrested for it and the chief said he has been indicted by a Grand Jury as of Wednesday afternoon on a first-degree murder charge.
“There will be additional arrests made in connection to this homicide and once those arrests have been made I will be more than happy to disclose the motive,” Young said.
The chief said there are a few cases where no one is cooperating or giving information. Detectives are still looking for the person who shot and killed 16-year-old Fredrick Cooper on Hudson Street back on May 3.
“This case is still a work in progress,” he said.
There are some residents working to help, though, too. News 6 spoke to three families of shooting victims earlier this week who are planning a Guns Down March for this Saturday.
“If we don’t stop what’s going on now, my grandchildren won’t have a future,” LaShandra Miles said.
Young said coming together to curb the gun violence is something the community needs.
“I absolutely 100% support them and applaud them for stepping up,” he said.
Young asked that residents report any tips to the police department’s app, which is available on iPhone and Android. You can also go to Northeast Florida Crime Stoppers to submit tips at 1-888-277-TIPS (8477).
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