A man in Florida met his end Thanksgiving morning at the hands of a Volusia Sheriff’s Office sniper after he fired over 200 rounds into neighboring condos at Kingston Shores condominiums. Sheriff Mike Chitwood, as quoted by WFLA, described the necessity of a sniper response, something he hadn't done in his 37-year tenure, when he stated, “In 37 years, I don’t think I’ve ever had an experience where I had to position snipers and say, ‘You have a green light to do your job.'”
The suspect, identified as 56-year-old Joseph DiFusco, was reportedly from Connecticut and staying at an Airbnb. FOX News reports that DiFusco, a veteran and convicted felon, was firing from within his rented condo, even targeting a sheriff’s office vehicle. Evacuations of neighbors commenced amid the barrage that lasted for several hours.
A local resident, Jason Valiant, told NBC Miami, “This is Ormond-by-the-Sea. We leave our windows open at night and our doors open at night. We’ve never seen anything like this.”
The confrontation began after DiFusco, experiencing a mental health crisis, called authorities early Thanksgiving morning to report suicidal thoughts but declined medical assistance. According to Chitwood via WFLA, DiFusco fired "in excess of an estimated 200 rounds." Attempts to negotiate were met with further gunfire, and DiFusco's family had expressed severe fear for their safety, sleeping in a car to avoid him.
Authorities, alongside residents, found themselves in a harrowing ordeal, with bullets "whizzing over our heads," as Chitwood recounted to FOX News. Chitwood emphasized that there were no options left for a peaceful resolution, “There was no negotiating with this guy. My objective was to make sure every single deputy went home for Thanksgiving dinner today, and that every single resident of that complex got to have Thanksgiving dinner today.” Despite the chaos, there were no reported injuries among the deputies or residents in the incident.
The decision to deploy a sniper concluded the hours-long standoff that left residents and law enforcement shaken but unharmed. The Volusia Sheriff's Office shared images of the bullet damage.
