Police Kill 20-Year-Old in DeLand in Traffic Stop

DELAND, Fla. – Law enforcement officers shot and killed a 20-year-old man during a traffic stop Friday in DeLand, the DeLand Police Department has confirmed. Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood gave a press conference in the hours following the shooting detailing the deadly exchange. According to police, a VSO deputy identified a white Dodge Charger which allegedly fled from aggravated assault charges last week, and gave chase. With that original charge having involved a firearm, police were immediately aware of the potential dangers of the stop. Three people were inside the Charger when the stop occurred, with VSO deputies and DPD officers both responding. The VSO says 20-year-old Jayvion Barthel drew a gun and pointed it at a DPD officer, leading one of the officers and one of the deputies to begin firing on him. Barthel was shot by police. Attempts were made to save Barthel’s life on the scene, but he was pronounced dead before he could be taken to the hospital. The VSO dispatch center was contacted at around 1:30 pm about a shooting with injuries. A notice was issued to the public to avoid Euclid Ave and S Woodland Blvd some 30 minutes later. Not long after, news had reached the community that one man was dead from a police-involved shooting. At a press conference in Volusia County following the shooting, Sheriff Chitwood and DeLand Police Chief Jason Umberger expanded upon what had occurred. According to Chitwood, Barthel was suspected to have taken part in an August 17th incident in which he attempted to shoot two women in a residential driveway. Barthel’s gun reportedly malfunctioned, and the women escaped danger. Chitwood expressed confidence the assailant in that exchange was Barthel. This wasn’t the first time Barthel has had a run-in with law enforcement in Volusia County. Previous charges include illegal concealed carry, possession of a weapon on school property, resisting arrest, and cannabis possession. Records from the Volusia County Branch Jail show him living in both DeLand and Ocala at different points in time.