Officials: Man killed by police after refusing to drop weapon

Officers shot and killed a man near Orange City early Tuesday morning after they said he refused to drop a gun.

Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies, along with Orange City police officers, first encountered Westley Daum, 47, about 11:25 p.m. Monday after receiving three 911 calls about a person standing in the middle of Volusia Avenue pointing a gun at passing cars.

The callers described Daum’s pickup truck and said it was partially blocking the road near Graves Avenue, according to the Sheriff ’s Office. Orange City officers responded to the area, but the man already had driven away, the Sheriff’s Office said.

A few minutes later, a deputy spotted a truck matching the description and attempted to stop it. The truck fled and officers followed as it drove “recklessly” through a neighborhood before stopping in front of a home on the 600 block of Lantern Lane, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said Daum got out with a gun and refused to put it down.

Police managed to talk with him over a cell phone, but were unsuccessful in getting him to surrender, the Sheriff’s Office said. They then tried firing bean bag rounds at him, but he wouldn’t give up, deputies said.

About 12:25 a.m. — an hour after the initial 911 calls — Daum raised the gun at officers again, deputies said. Five deputies and an Orange City officer then opened fire on him, killing him, according to the Sheriff ’s Office.

Sgt. Kyle Bainbridge, Sgt. Joel Hernandez, Sgt. Justin Stewart, Investigator Miguel Roman and Deputy Austin Weber were placed on administrative leave with pay as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates. Officer Stephen Nesbitt from Orange City also fired his weapon.