UPDATE: ARREST: Detectives Investigating Fatal Shooting In DeBary

Date Added: December 08, 2019 9:16 pm

Andrew Gant
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

UPDATE #2: The victim's next of kin has been contacted; the victim's ID is Roberto Miguel Ovalle, 40 (DOB 7/1/1979), of Deltona.

UPDATE 12/9/19: The suspect in last night’s shooting has been charged with first-degree murder. He is Julio Rivera, 48 (DOB 8/7/1971), who was living in storage unit #12 at 333 E. Highbanks Road, where the shooting happened.

The victim was a 40-year-old Deltona man who was a childhood friend and associate of Rivera’s. His identity is not being released at this time pending notification of next of kin.

Deputies responded to the shooting around 7:15 p.m. Sunday. The victim’s girlfriend told deputies she witnessed the shooting at 333 E. Highbanks, and that Rivera had shot her boyfriend in the head while the three of them were sitting inside the storage unit.

The girlfriend said she immediately fled the storage unit, but Rivera followed her to her vehicle and accompanied her back to the victim’s home, saying he would protect her and her children. She took Rivera’s gun from him and went to gather her children. Rivera left and went back to the storage unit; the girlfriend then started running toward a friend’s home. She was intercepted by responding deputies, and when Rivera arrived back at 333 E. Highbanks, he was met by deputies responding to the homicide scene.

Rivera was the subject of an active arrest warrant for parole violation in relation to a previous murder conviction in New York. It’s believed he had been staying in the DeBary storage unit since October in an effort to avoid arrest on that warrant.

Rivera was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail overnight on a charge of first-degree murder and on his open warrant out of New York. He remains in custody with no bond.

A significant amount of marijuana (about 20 vacuum-sealed bags) as well as an unknown white powder and unknown brown substance were recovered from the storage unit.

The case is still under investigation, and no further information is available for release at this time. Updates will be provided as they become available.

Note to news media: Body camera footage is not available for release. The report and 911 audio in this case will be reviewed for redactions of investigative detail and released when available.

DETECTIVES INVESTIGATING FATAL SHOOTING IN DEBARY

Volusia Sheriff's detectives are on the scene of a fatal shooting tonight at 333 E. Highbanks Road, DeBary.

An adult male victim is deceased. The shooting was reported shortly after 7:15 p.m. All parties involved are being interviewed now. 

No further information is available for release at this time, but updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.