A 17-year-old male and his girlfriend have been arrested in connection with a shooting earlier this month in DeLand that spawned from an Instagram feud and left another teenager injured from gunshot wounds.
On Monday, August 14, Tyler Lopez turned himself into the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office district headquarters in DeLand. Lopez is charged with attempted first-degree murder in the August 4 shooting that took place on South Brooks Avenue.
After that shooting took place, a 17-year-old male victim showed up to the hospital at around 11:50 p.m. with a non-life-threatening injury that he sustained from a gunshot.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the victim provided “very limited cooperation” during the investigation. Detectives eventually determined that the conflict began through a series of Instagram posts that “revived a longstanding feud.”
Lopez’s girlfriend, Tazaria Carter, was arrested last week after detectives determined that she was present for the shooting, drove Lopez away from the scene, and had contact with him afterward. Police say that Carter also allegedly attempted to conceal details during the investigation.
Lopez was transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice, where Carter remains in custody.
Detectives say they are still investigating a separate shooting that took place in the same area just a couple days after the aforementioned incident.
The shootings follow several months of similar incidents across DeLand.
In July, 16-year-old Tywon Jamal Patton was arrested for allegedly firing shots into an occupied vehicle and shooting a victim in the head, critically injuring them.
In June, 26-year-old Oscar Torres was arrested for firing shots into a vehicle during a road rage incident.
Anyone with information about either case is asked to contact the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office at 386-248-1777. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at 888-277-8477.