Orange City residents say man's death in deputy-involved shooting ‘was intense'

ORANGE CITY, Fla. — A 47-year-old man was killed by police and sheriff’s deputies early Tuesday after investigators say he threatened them with a gun.

The incident was first reported at 11:25 p.m. when the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office received reports of a man standing in the middle of the road threatening passing motorists with a gun, deputies said.

Orange City police officers responded to Volusia Avenue near Graves Avenue, but the culprit, Westley Daum, 47, had already left the scene.

About nine minutes later, a sheriff’s deputy spotted Daum’s truck, but he fled and wasn’t seen again until he was spotted by another deputy in front of a residence in the 600 block of Lantern Lane, officials said.

Surrounded by numerous officers and deputies, Daum got out of his truck with a gun in his hand, the sheriff’s office said.

Nearby homes were evacuated and Orange City police tried to communicate with him through his cellphone and talk him into surrendering, deputies said.

Non-lethal beanbag rounds were shot at Daum as well, but the move was unsuccessful in getting him to give himself up, investigators said.

At about 12:24 a.m., Daum pointed his gun at the law enforcement officers on the scene and they opened fire, the sheriff’s office said.

“That man put them in a position that none of them wanted to be in, and they worked diligently to try to keep it from happening, but he put them in a position,” Sheriff Ben Johnson of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.

Daum was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said the following five officers from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office opened fire: Sgt. Kyle Bainbridge, Sgt. Joel Hernandez, Sgt. Justin Stewart, Investigator Miguel Roman and Deputy Austin Weber.

All five have been temporarily placed on administrative leave with pay, which is standard procedure in deputy-involved shootings. The Orange City officer who fired his weapon is Officer Stephen Nesbitt.

Resident Chevy Waddoups woke up to the sound of screams and sirens, and listened as officers yelled at the suspect to drop his gun.

Authorities said Daum told them that “when I point my gun at you guys, go ahead and shoot me."

"It was intense," Waddoups said. "The cops tried to talk him into laying his gun down, (but) he said, "No, man. Can't do that. Can't do that."

The result of the encounter was unfortunate, but considering how many homes were in the area, it could have been a lot worse, he added.

"I was more concerned about residents and the babies sleeping in their houses," Waddoups said. "I am really glad they stopped him because we were all scared."

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings, the sheriff’s office said.

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