Holly Hill cops: Fatal shooting at motel drug-related

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Mugshot photo courtesy of VCBJ / Blood splatter remains in front of a doorway at the Pilot motel on Ridgewood in Holly Hill on Sunday where 19-year-old Donnell Ellis was shot to death and three of his young friends critically injured in a drive-by during which the killers reportedly jumped out and collected the empty shell casings before fleeing in a stolen SUV 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The vehicle was recovered this morning, but the killers remain on the loose.

HOLLY HILL – Illegal drug activity became the focus of police today investigating a bloody motel shootout that left one man dead and three wounded , police confirmed this afternoon.

“I believe we’ve been able to determine with absolute certainty that this is drug-related violence and this is not a random act,” Holly Hill Police Chief Mark Barker said today.

Barker also said because the target was specific, he doesn't believe those unknown to the alleged killers will be impacted, unless there is another shooting with innocent bystanders in the way.

Evidence of the nasty shooting drama was visible today in blood stains on the concrete sidewalk leading to room No. 3 at the motel, where some of the victims tried to take refuge. Glass in a window at room No. 3 remained broken.

The Pilot Lodge sign was taken down after Saturday's deadly shooting and replaced with a a sign with the business' former name, Holly House Hotel. Glass broken in window of room No. 3 of the Holly Hill motel where bullets were sprayed, killing one man and wounding three others.

What did not remain was the sign identifying the motel as Pilot Lodge at 1400 Ridgewood Ave. The words “Pilot Lodge” had been removed from the sign out front. Instead, the former name of the motel was displayed on the sign, the Holly House Hotel. An apron above the main office window, however, still showed the hotel's name.

The bloody confrontation unfolded about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday when two or three men in a stolen black Ford Explorer pulled up next to three men outside the motel.

Words were exchanged between the men in the SUV and the men standing outside the Pilot Lodge. Police were uncertain today whether two or three men were in the SUV.

“Ultimately, we know at least one individual began firing just inside the room and the threshold of the door of Room 3 at the Pilot Lodge,” Barker said.

Police were still sifting today through physical evidence and witness statements to determine how many weapons might have been involved and to locate additional suspects. Donnell Ellis, 19, of Daytona Beach, one of the three men standing at the motel, was killed by gunfire.

Two other men standing at the motel were recovering today after surgery. They are: Darshawn Broadwater, 19, of Daytona Beach and Leroy Gadson, 19, of Bunnell.

One man in the SUV, Jamie Evans, 20, of Daytona Beach, made his way to Halifax Medical Center on Saturday, where he was treated and released with a gunshot would to the right arm.

Barker said police have several working theories about the gun play. “All of the subjects knew each other,” Barker said.

The Ford Explorer, which had been reported stolen in Port Orange, was found today at the Groveland Apartments, 1600 Big Tree Road in South Daytona. Holly Hill investigators are meeting with State Attorney homicide investigators and investigators from surrounding jurisdictions.

“We’re beginning to make charging decisions and developing a strategy to identify and locate additional suspects,” Barker said.

This is the sixth homicide in Volusia County so far in 2011, with killings in Ormond Beach, Deltona, New Smyrna Beach, Port Orange, in addition to this one in Holly Hill.

Story and photos submitted by a freelancer for NSBNews.net and VolusiaNews.net.