Deputy shot, injured in Deltona; shooter in custody

Date Added: March 02, 2026 9:41 pm

A VSO deputy is recovering after he was shot and injured in Deltona on Monday evening. The shooter is in custody.

The initial investigation of the incident indicates the following:

Deputy Jose Rivera and his deputy trainee were conducting an assault/battery investigation outside 2684 Candler Drive around 4:30 p.m. when they encountered the subject of the investigation, Luis Diaz Polanco (DOB 9/10/1994).

After the deputies attempted to speak with him, Polanco returned inside the house. The second deputy went toward the back of the house in case Polanco exited out the back door. Polanco instead came back out the front door armed with a handgun, which he began firing.

Deputy Rivera was struck in the leg and the shoulder after a round ricocheted off of his chest-mounted body-worn camera.

Fellow deputies pulled Rivera to safety and transported him to the nearby Halifax Health / UF Health Medical Center of Deltona, where he was stabilized and then taken by Air One to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Polanco was taken into custody outside the residence. He was not injured during the incident. He was being interviewed later Monday night and is facing charges of attempted murder.

Two other people on the property were detained during the initial investigation but were not found to be involved in the incident.

The details described here are preliminary and subject to revision following a full and thorough investigation.