SOUTH DAYTONA, Fla. — A South Daytona man is accused of shooting and killing an acquaintance with a shotgun after an argument at an apartment, according to an arrest affidavit.
Justin Bryan is charged with second-degree murder with a firearm in the death of Rob Panayotis. Bryan was arrested on October 28, according to the South Daytona Police Department. The affidavit lists no bond.
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According to the arrest affidavit, four people met at Cozy Corner in Port Orange on October 27 before going to Mark’s Sports Bar in South Daytona. The group later agreed to meet at an apartment on South Ridgewood Avenue.
The affidavit states the group eventually gathered at the apartment in the early morning hours of October 28.
Investigators allege an argument broke out after the group spent time together in a bedroom. According to the affidavit, Panayotis told Bryan, “this is why you don’t switch clubs,” referring to motorcycle clubs. Investigators said Bryan became angry.
The affidavit states Bryan told Panayotis and one of the women to leave. According to investigators, Bryan then retrieved a shotgun from a closet and pointed it at Panayotis.
One of the women reportedly pushed the barrel away and told Bryan to shoot her instead if he intended to shoot someone.
According to the affidavit, Bryan fired a shot into the floor. As Panayotis gathered his belongings to leave, investigators allege Bryan fired a second round, striking Panayotis in the face.
The affidavit also references Panayotis’s alleged past motorcycle club associations. Investigators say two witnesses told them Panayotis had previously been a member of the Pagans Motorcycle Club and may have had previous ties to the Outlaw Motorcycle Club.
The affidavit does not establish that the shooting was connected to a current motorcycle club dispute.
South Daytona police responded to the apartment at 2050 South Ridgewood Avenue after receiving a 911 call reporting that someone had been shot.
The affidavit states officers found Panayotis lying on the floor near a bed with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his head. Investigators also reported finding a spent shotgun shell outside the bedroom and another shell inside it.
Bryan was found in front of the apartment and detained, according to the affidavit.
Investigators interviewed the other two people who were present. The affidavit states both witnesses said Panayotis did not have a firearm and that no physical altercation occurred between Panayotis and Bryan before the shooting.
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