SOUTH DAYTONA, Fla. — A man was found dead in in the middle of the road early Tuesday, the South Daytona Police Department said.
Emerson Green, 25, was found on Jones Street and Orange Blossom Drive just before 4 a.m., police said.
Residents said they were shocked because it’s normally a quiet neighborhood.
“There is usually nothing going on around here. I mean, you got the police station right there,” said resident Willy Philmore.
Officers responded to a report of shots fired near the South Daytona Police Department and when they canvassed the area they found Green's body.
Witnesses told investigators that a vehicle pulled up to the man, at least two individuals got out and opened fire, he said.
Green’s fiance told Channel 9 she hadn't been feeling well and Green offered to get her something to drink at a nearby convenience store, and that's when she said she heard three gun shots.
Police believe Green might have been walking with a few people during the time of the shooting.
“There was a disturbance where some subjects jumped out of a motor vehicle confronted the individual in the roadway, and then shots were fired, (and) they took off,” said Lt. Mark Cheatham of the South Daytona Police Department.
The shooter, or shooters, then fled the scene, witnesses said.
South Daytona police and the Volusia County Sheriff's Office worked together, gathering evidence and talking to witnesses. Detectives said some witnesses were helpful but others were not.
“They are just giving conflicting stories, which is making the process a little more difficult than normal,” said Cheatham.
Residents told Channel 9 that they have noticed unfamiliar faces in the neighborhood recently.
“Just people you haven't seen before coming up and down the street,” said Philmore.
Police said it is unknown whether Green was the intended target.
Green was arrested in July on a battery charge, but it’s unknown whether that incident is connected to Tuesday’s shooting.