David Jewell Obituary, Death – A gas station clerk has been accused of fatally shooting an off-duty police officer from Edgewater on Monday. He informed deputies that he was experiencing a difficult day on his way to work and had contemplated shooting the officer earlier, as per new information released by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

The tragic incident occurred around 4 p.m. at a Circle K located in Ormond-by-the-Sea.

The clerk, identified as 24-year-old Eduardo Machado, has been arrested and is facing a charge of first-degree murder. According to the sheriff’s office, Machado “confessed to the murder” and had recognized the Edgewater police officer, 45-year-old David Jewell, from previous visits to the store.

Machado mentioned to deputies that he thought he might have had a disagreement with Jewell at some point in the past, although he could not recall specific details, as stated by the sheriff’s office.

Deputies reported that Machado was unaware that Jewell was a police officer, but he did acknowledge having seen Jewell with a firearm previously and expressed that he was “afraid of him.”

On Monday, Machado told deputies he was having a bad day on his way to work and had considered shooting Jewell earlier, according to officials. The sheriff’s office indicated that upon arriving at work and spotting Jewell, Machado used a handgun he had recently purchased to shoot Jewell “multiple times” in the back of the head without uttering a word to him prior to the shooting.

Surveillance footage captured Machado exiting the store shortly after Jewell entered. Later, deputies discovered the firearm concealed within a jacket in the back seat of Machado’s vehicle, as reported by officials.

“The video is probably something that in 38 years of law enforcement, I can tell you, it’s unbelievable what you see in that video,” stated Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood in a news release.

The sheriff’s office also reported that Machado’s family informed deputies that he had previously been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and was “hearing voices.”

Acting Edgewater Police Chief Charles Geiger characterized Jewell as someone “we could rely on for anything.” He served as a police officer with the Edgewater.

Jewell had also previously worked for the Volusia Sheriff’s Office as a telecommunicator and won a “Telecommunicator of the Quarter” award in 2020.