UPDATED: Sheriff's Office Investigating Suspicious Death Near DeLand

Date Added: April 26, 2017 12:50 am

Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

Update: 3:00 p.m.

The victim has been identified as 41-year-old Paul G. Wright. Wright, who was known by the nickname “Shorty,” was considered homeless and had no known permanent address. His body exhibited fresh signs of trauma, and while the cause of death hasn’t been confirmed yet, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is treating the investigation as a homicide. The Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office is scheduled to conduct an autopsy on Thursday. No one is in custody, and Sheriff’s detectives are continuing to process information and evidence in the case and interview Wright’s friends, family and known associates in an effort to determine what led up to his killing. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida, toll-free, at (888) 277-TIPS. Information also can be submitted by downloading the smartphone app from the Crime Stoppers web site (http://www.westopcrime.com/). Callers to Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous and can qualify for a reward of up to $5,000.

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SHERIFF’S OFFICE INVESTIGATING SUSPICIOUS DEATH NEAR DELAND

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a suspicious death that occurred Tuesday night just south of DeLand.

About a half-hour before the victim was discovered, DeLand Police officers patrolling in the vicinity of South Clara Avenue and West Beresford Avenue reported hearing gunshots. Nothing was immediately found, though. Then, at 10:46 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office’s Communications Center began receiving calls about a shooting. One caller reported hearing a gunshot and then people screaming to call 911. She said she didn’t see the shooting, but figured “something bad has happened over there.” The call led responding officers to an adult male who was found in a dirt lot at Parsons Avenue and Green Street. At 10:55 p.m., paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene. His identity hasn’t been determined and no one is in custody at this time.

The body was located just south of the city limits, in the Sheriff’s Office’s jurisdiction. The Sheriff’s Office’s Major Case Unit is leading the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida, toll-free, at (888) 277-TIPS. Information also can be submitted by downloading the smartphone app from the Crime Stoppers web site (http://www.westopcrime.com/). Callers to Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous and can qualify for a reward of up to $5,000.