Florida convenience store employee charged with fatally shooting off-duty police officer

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A Florida convenience store employee has been arrested and charged with fatally shooting an off-duty police officer, authorities said.

Eduardo Labrada Machado, 24, shot David Jewell, 45, shortly after arriving for work at the Daytona Beach-area Circle K gas station Monday afternoon, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

Labrada Machado has been charged with first-degree murder. Court and jail records didn't list an attorney for him.

Labrada Machado told investigators that he was having a bad day on his drive to work and thought about shooting Jewell. When Labrada Machado arrived at work and saw Jewell, Labrada Machado used a handgun he had recently purchased to shoot Jewell multiple times at close range, officials said.

Jewell had been a police officer with the city of Edgewater, but it wasn't clear if Labrada Machado knew that or had ever seen Jewell in his uniform.

Labrada Machado had apparently seen Jewell in the store previously, and the two had argued, officials said. Labrada Machado told deputies that he had seen Jewell with a firearm in the past and was afraid of him.

The gun used in the shooting was recovered from a jacket in the back of Labrada Machado's vehicle, officials said.

Interviews with the Labrada Machado’s family revealed a history of mental illness and hearing voices. They were not aware of any homicidal threats or anti-law enforcement sentiment. Labrada Machado is a legal U.S. resident with a green card.

Labrada Machado’s only previous encounter with law enforcement was for shooting guns at Tomoka State Park in 2023, officials said. According to court records, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge, and adjudication was withheld.