Deltona Man, 41, Faces Charges After Pointing Gun at Neighbor, Getting Shot

Date Added: October 04, 2018 11:08 pm

Contact: Laura Williams, Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

                                                    

           DELTONA MAN GETS SHOT IN HAND, ARRESTED AFTER SHOOTING AT NEIGHBOR

                                                   

Sheriff’s deputies rushed to a Deltona neighborhood Thursday afternoon after a resident called dispatchers and said he shot his neighbor in self-defense.

Matthew Karnes, 46, (DOB 7/4/72) of 1732 Howland Blvd., told deputies the altercation began just around 4 p.m. when his neighbor confronted Karnes just after the neighbor’s young son had been throwing a ball against Karnes’ fence. Karnes asked the boy to stop and he did.

The neighbor, identified as Gregory Castellanos, 41 (DOB 10/24/76) of 1738 Howland, knocked on Karnes’ door. When Karnes opened his door, Castellanos, who had armed himself with a black pistol, dropped the gun, picked it up and pointed it at Karnes. The men exchanged words and when Karnes saw the gun, he pushed Castellanos out of his doorway. Fearing for his safety, Karnes grabbed his rifle and opened the door slightly, looking to see if the neighbor had left.

That’s when Karnes was met by Castellanos’ pistol pointing at his face. Castellanos fired into the house, missing Karnes. Karnes got scared and shot at Castellanos, retreated inside his house and called law enforcement officers for help.

When deputies arrived, Karnes told them he didn’t know where the man was or if he was injured. Castellanos sustained a gunshot wound to his hand and was transported to Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford. Soon after, deputies discovered that during the gunfire, a car traveling on Howland Boulevard was struck in the rear windshield with an errant bullet. The occupants of the vehicle were not harmed.

Upon his release from the hospital Thursday night, Castellanos was charged by Volusia County sheriff’s detectives with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an occupied dwelling and carrying a concealed firearm. He is being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail on a $25,000 bail bond.