Daytona Beach, FL – An argument in Deltona ends with 2 men in the hospital and 1 man charged with trying to murder both of them.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office says it happened just before 4 PM Sunday in the garage of a home on the 800 block of Vicksburg Street in Deltona.
21-year-old Joel Almonte is held without bond at Volusia County Jail on 2 counts of attempted murder, according to the jail’s website.
VCSO spokesman Gary Davidson says both victims – 28-year-old Gilbert Rivera and 21-year-old Tilar Harris – were taken to Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford for treatment.
“The investigation revealed that Almonte and Rivera had been arguing throughout the day about Almonte being disrespectful to their mother,” Davidson said. “At some point, Almonte told Rivera that if he didn’t leave him alone, he would shoot him.”
It was soon after that when VCSO thinks Rivera grabbed Almonte’s rifle, handed it to him while in the garage and dared his brother to shoot him.
“Almonte backed Rivera into a corner of the garage and then fired twice at close range, striking Rivera in the arm and leg,” Davidson added. “Harris was also in the garage, but wasn’t in the path of the shooting and evidently was injured by a ricochet.”
VCSO arrived on scene within 4 minutes of being notified and it was around 10 minutes later when Almonte surrendered, per Davidson.
“Harris was first to walk out of the front door and was escorted by deputies to a position of cover,” Davidson stated. “Then Almonte emerged at the rear sliding glass doors of the house with his arms raised and was immediately taken into custody.”
Deputies sweeping through the home found Rivera laying on the garage floor. He was airlifted by a VCSO helicopter to CFRH while Harris went there by ambulance. Neither man’s injuries are life-threatening, according to Davidson.
Joel Almonte (mugshot courtesy VCJ)
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