Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of 2021's Top 100 biggest news stories of Central Florida along the tourism-driven stretch of Interstate 4 (Orlando Attractions and east to I-95 & the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona). Each recap segment is posted with its own headline, culminating with the unveiling of No. 1, before switching to the Top 5 storylines -- the good, the bad & the ugly on the horizon in "2022: The Year That Lies Ahead."
Photos for Headline Surfer / ABOVE (left): Toriano Brooks, 29, is charged with second-degree murder with a firearm in the shooting death of 35-year-old Kavon Banks (right) near New Smyrna Beach.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- A 29-year-old man wanted in connection with the death of a shooting victim found laying on a road in New Smyrna Beach was arrested by Putnam County deputies back in June.
Deputies with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said say Toriano Brooks was wanted in the shooting death of 35-year-old Kavon Banks, who was found June 20 at the intersection of State Road 415 and Ashby Road near Palatka.
Deputies with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said say Toriano Brooks was wanted in the shooting death of 35-year-old Kavon Banks, who was found June 20 at the intersection of State Road 415 and Ashby Road near Palatka.
Sheriff's investigators determined Banks was shot to death and identified Brooks as the prime suspect. The body was discovered a day earlier by a motorist who called 9-1-1.
Deputies “uncovered information suggesting he was hiding in Palatka.”
The sheriff’s office, along with Palatka police conducted a five-hour operation to apprehend Brooks and take him into custody without incident.
The victim died from multiple gunshot wounds to the body, according to an autopsy report.
Brooks was turned over to deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office and charged with second-degree murder with a firearm in the shooting death of Banks.
Criminal Case Update: Toriano Brooks has been held for 242 days without bail at the Volusia County Jail in Daytona Beach awaiting trial.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.