A popular Spring Break destination has been rocked by gun violence over the weekend, after five different shootings occurred in just three days, leaving one police officer injured and a suspect in critical condition.
Video of one incident shared online showed thousands of screaming people running down Daytona Beach, Florida, while law enforcement agencies from multiple jurisdictions dispersed across the sand.
None of the shootings unfolded on the beach itself, though two shootings on Saturday were beachside, officials with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office told WFTV.
There was also a fight at Joint Bar on Seabreeze in which a shot was fired, but no injuries were reported, Daytona Beach police said.
Just one hour later, someone was shot in front of a Crunch Fitness.
All of the victims of those shootings are expected to recover, police said.
But on Sunday, a fifth shooting left South Daytona Beach Police Officer Jake Fessenden injured in the hospital and the suspect, Todd Anthony Martin, 31, in critical condition, Port Orange Police said.
The incident began when Port Orange Police responded to a call of a shooting off Country Lane, and located Martin, who fled in a vehicle, the police department posted on social media.

Video shared online showed thousands of people running down Daytona Beach, Florida over the weekend as multiple shootings rocked the city
A pursuit then followed, with officers from the South Daytona Beach Police Department joining in on the chase.
Eventually, the suspect crashed his vehicle while traveling northbound on I-95, at which point he allegedly opened fire on the officers – striking Fessenden twice.
Another officer then returned fire, striking Martin, who proceeded to flee on foot and attempted to steal a police vehicle, according to Click Orlando.
He then reportedly entered the vehicle electronically, and caused it to catch fire.
Martin ‘jumped out of the vehicle after several minutes of the vehicle being engulfed in flames.’
He is now being treated at Halifax Medical Center for the gunshot wound and severe burns, and was listed in critical condition, Spectrum News 13 reports.
Meanwhile, Officer Fessenden underwent surgery and was expected to survive.
‘The big, important news is that he’s in stable condition and he’s in good spirits,’ South Daytona Beach Police Department Deputy Chief Tim Morgan told Click Orlando.
‘God was on his side today,’ the deputy chief said, noting, ‘You know he’s hit twice, two critical areas, but we’re being told he’s in stable condition and he’s going to be fine.’
No injuries were reported in the initial shooting call, police said.


South Daytona Beach Police Officer Jake Fessenden was left injured and Todd Anthony Martin, 31, was left in critical condition following a high-speed chase and crash on Sunday

Port Orange police said they were responding to a call about a shooting, when Martin fled the scene. Police then followed in pursuit before Martin crashed his vehicle on Interstate 95
Authorities are now investigating whether the spate of gun violence was related to Spring Break.
But Kissy Derito, who was in town with her family, told WFTV that shootings were not the only issue residents and vacationers faced over the weekend.
‘Twerking, dancing, stopping traffic, cussing people, flipping people off, stopping everyone, screaming,’ she said, listing all of the chaos she and her family experienced. ‘It was insane.’
She added that the chaos spilled out onto the streets, completely stopping traffic.
It created a bad look for the resort town, Derito said.
‘There was a poor [man] that’s never been to Florida in the elevator last night, and he was like “This is our first time ever in Florida,”‘ she recounted. ‘He was like, “Should we pack up and leave?”‘


