An argument between two men at an Orange City apartment complex turned violent Monday afternoon when one of them pulled a gun and opened fire, wounding the other before speeding off. Officers found the victim with injuries that authorities believe are non-life-threatening, but as of this week, the shooter remained unidentified and unaccounted for.
According to Orlando-News.com, Orange City Police Department officers responded to a reported shooting involving two adult males at around 3:45 p.m. on August 31 at Parc Hill Apartments, located at 1010 Skyline Loop. The outlet reports that the two men were speaking with one another when their conversation escalated, and a firearm was allegedly produced during the encounter before shots were fired. The shooter fled the area in a vehicle before officers arrived, according to the report, and the man who was shot was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Parc Hill Apartment Homes sits just off Saxon Boulevard, a commercial corridor that feeds directly into Interstate 4, and the complex is served by Route 23 of VOTRAN, Volusia County's public bus system. Built around 2020, the property offers one- to four-bedroom floor plans and is managed by Concord Management under the ConcordRENTS brand, according to Parc Hill Apartment Homes' own listing information.
Detectives Still Working to Identify Suspect
Orange City Police Department detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting and are working to identify and locate the suspect, the same report notes. No description of the shooter or the vehicle used to flee has been released. Investigators have asked anyone with information to contact the Orange City Police Department at 386-775-9999, and the department's detectives have also pointed residents toward Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida, which allows tipsters to submit information anonymously and remain eligible for cash rewards, according to Orlando-News.com. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-888-277-TIPS (8477).
West Volusia County's medical infrastructure, including AdventHealth Fish Memorial and HCA Florida Orange City Hospital, typically handles acute traumatic injuries locally before transferring the most critical cases to regional trauma centers, per Livability. It is not clear from available reporting which facility treated the man shot at Parc Hill.
A Pattern of Arguments Turning Into Gunfire
The Skyline Loop shooting is the latest in a string of Orange City disputes this summer that escalated into gunfire. On July 26, police arrested a 27-year-old man after a late-night shooting during a domestic dispute at the Reserve at Orange City apartment complex left a victim hospitalized in stable condition, Hoodline previously reported. And on June 7, a 46-year-old man was shot during an argument outside an Ollie's Bargain Outlet in Orange City, with the suspects fleeing in a black vehicle, according to Hoodline's earlier coverage.
Any suspect eventually identified in the Parc Hill shooting could face serious charges. Under Florida Statute § 784.045 and § 775.087, battery committed with a firearm is classified as aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony carrying up to 15 years in prison, according to Florida statutory guidance. The state's 10-20-LIFE provisions can also trigger mandatory minimum sentences when a firearm is drawn or discharged during a felony.
City of About 12,600 Grapples With Repeat Gun Violence
Orange City, a West Volusia County municipality of 12,632 residents as of the 2020 U.S. Census, covers roughly 7.2 square miles along the Interstate 4 corridor between Orlando and Daytona Beach, per U.S. Census Bureau data. The Orange City Police Department is led by Chief Wayne M. Miller, a 38-year law enforcement veteran who was sworn in as chief in May 2022 after previously serving as deputy chief in Orange City and assistant chief in Port Orange.
State budget records show Florida lawmakers previously approved $500,000 in funding toward the Orange City Police Department and its Incident Command Center, capital support intended to help the department upgrade dispatch and investigative operations, according to The Florida Senate. For now, whether the victim and the shooter knew each other before Monday's argument, along with the suspect's identity and the vehicle he used to escape, remain unanswered questions as detectives continue working the case.
