Joseph Whitmer, 21, was shot to death just after 1 a.m. on Monday, September 29, 2025, at the Edgewater/Orchid Woods Court condominiums in Deltona, Florida. Deputies responding to multiple 911 calls found him outside the doorway at the top of the stairs to a second-floor unit with multiple gunshot wounds; 11 spent 9mm casings were recovered at the scene.

A doorbell camera captured the shooting and, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, provided a clear description of the gunman. Around 1:15 a.m. a deputy detained a man matching that description near Providence Boulevard and Perimeter Drive. Detectives recovered a black backpack along a nearby bike trail that appeared to have been discarded by the fleeing suspect; the bag contained a loaded handgun, extra ammunition, and other weapons. The detained man was identified as Brian D. Whittaker, 49, a resident of another unit in the same complex, and was charged with first-degree murder.

Authorities said the motive was under investigation and had not publicly disclosed any relationship between Whitmer and the suspect. Does anyone in Deltona have information about Joseph Whitmer, his movements that night, or what led to this shooting?