On Monday, September 15, 2025, an off-duty police officer was fatally shot inside a Circle K gas station in Ormond-by-the-Sea, Florida.
Authorities say the suspect, 24-year-old Eduardo Machado, confessed to killing the officer after claiming he was having “a bad day.”
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| Eduardo Machado |
The shooting happened around 4:08 p.m. inside the Circle K on Ocean Shore Boulevard, about 65 miles northeast of Orlando.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, surveillance footage shows Machado walking out of the store just as Officer David Jewell, 45, entered.
Machado then went to his car, grabbed his jacket, and reentered the store.
He then quietly walked up behind Jewell and fired several shots into his head without saying a word.
According to Law&Crime, Sheriff Mike Chitwood described the footage as something he would never forget.
Sheriff Chitwood further explained that after Jewell fell to the ground, Machado’s gun jammed. The footage shows him standing over Jewell, fixing the weapon, and shooting him in the head several more times.
“The video is probably something that in 38 years of law enforcement, that I can tell you – it’s unbelievable what you see in that video, " said Sheriff Chitwood.
Jewell was at the store with his father-in-law to grab a hot dog, but tragically, he died instantly at the scene after the shooting.
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| Officer David Jewell |
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| Officer David Jewell and Sheriff Chitwood |
Authorities have confirmed that Machado admitted to the killing after he was arrested.
He told investigators he had seen Jewell in the store before and thought they had argued in the past, though he couldn’t recall specific details.
“The defendant confessed to the murder,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “He stated he’d seen Jewell in the store several times, and believed he had an argument with him at some point in the past.”
Machado also told the police that he was in the middle of a “bad day” and had already been thinking about shooting Jewell earlier on his way to work.
While Machado has no criminal record, his family shared with investigators that he had previously been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and had a history of hearing voices.
They described him as quiet and said they were shocked by what happened, insisting they were unaware of any violent tendencies or hostility toward law enforcement.
His only prior interaction with police came in 2023, when he was questioned after a complaint about him shooting firearms at Tomoka State Park.
The sudden loss of Officer Jewell has left the Edgewater Police Department and the community reeling. Jewell, who had served honorably for years, was remembered as a dedicated officer, a loving husband, and a father.
“He went into the store to get a hot dog, and he never came out. It’s a tragedy that defies logic,” said Sheriff Chitwood while reflecting on the senseless nature of the crime.
Machado is now charged with first-degree murder. Authorities say the case remains under investigation as they continue to piece together Machado’s motives and mental state at the time of the shooting.
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