Volusia deputies, Daytona Beach cops shoot & kill knife-wielding man who stabbed several people over the weekend in Derbyshire residence

Deadly crime scene locator in Daytona Beach / Headline SurferTOP: Headline Surfer photo illustration / Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood will hold a news conference about Saturday's law enforcement-involved fatal shooting of a knife-wielding suspect in Daytona Beach, Florida. Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young will join Chitwood at the podium at 11 a.m. Monday, July 7, 2025, at the VSO in Daytona. 
LEFT: Google locator map of the crime scene at 1402 Derbyshire Road, Daytona Beach.

By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Volusia sheriff’s deputies and police searching for victims of a multiple stabbing Saturday night in Daytona Beach were forced to fatally shoot the suspect after he burst through a door and charged at them with a knife, a spokesman for Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a press release.

Deputies responded to the area of 1402 Derbyshire Road around 9:30 p.m. for a report of a stabbing. Responding units found 2 people with multiple stab wounds and learned that the suspect was inside the residence. While making announcements for him to come out, deputies learned an additional person could be in the house.

Deputies and police formed a team to enter the house and rescue any additional victims. As the team moved through the house, the suspect suddenly charged out of a bedroom door, screaming with a large knife raised above his head.

The suspect was shot multiple times by law enforcement and was pronounced deceased at the scene. Authorities have yet to release his name. The stabbing victims (a 16-year-old male and a 39-year-old male) were transported to the hospital for evaluation and treatment of their injuries. They were in stable condition.

The suspect was shot multiple times by law enforcement and was pronounced deceased at the scene. Authorities have yet to release his name. The stabbing victims (a 16-year-old male and a 39-year-old male) were transported to the hospital for evaluation and treatment of their injuries. They were in stable condition.

FDLE is handling the investigation of the incident, and the VSO deputies involved have been temporarily placed on administrative leave, as is standard following a fatal shooting.

VSO, Daytona Beach PD, Ormond Beach PD, and Holly Hill PD responded to the incident. No deputies or officers were injured.

The stabbing victims (a 16-year-old male and a 39-year-old male) were transported to the hospital for evaluation and treatment of their injuries. They were in stable condition.

FDLE is handling the investigation of the incident, and the VSO deputies involved have been temporarily placed on administrative leave, as is standard following a fatal shooting.

Editor's Note: The deceased gunman was later identified as 19-year-old Landon Watson.

Henry Frederick press card / Headline SurferAbout the Byline Writer: 

Henry Frederick is an award-winning journalist who launched Headline Surfer in 2008. The site serves the greater Daytona Beach, Sanford, and Orlando areas along the I-4 corridor and beyond via HeadlineSurfer.com in Lake Mary, Florida. Frederick earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in Orlando 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, the same beat with The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. He's also worked as a city editor and city hall reporter for two dailies. 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 & the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. Assisting Henry Frederick with Headline Surfer is Sera King, who writes about the weather and feature stories, takes photos, shoots video, and occasionally draws editorial cartoons. •  Bio: https://henryfrederick.com/.