A 27-year-old man was arrested in Volusia County after he was accused of stabbing another man nearly a dozen times at a local homeless camp.
On Sunday, May 18, Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the intersection of Findley Street and Old Mission Road in New Smyrna Beach in reference to a stabbing incident in the area.
According to VCSO, a 33-year-old male victim was “stabbed or cut 11 times in the neck and upper body.” A sergeant applied towels to the victim’s neck until New Smyrna Beach Police Department officers arrived at the scene with a trauma kit.
The victim was airlifted to a local hospital in “critical but stable” condition. The sheriff’s office stated that the victim is expected to make a full recovery.
A suspect, identified as Corey Ian Cotton, was located in the area. He was detained in handcuffs, and a folding knife covered in blood was allegedly found in his pocket, according to the sheriff’s office.
On body camera footage released by VCSO, Cotton can be heard telling law enforcement officers that he had asked the victim to “leave” the incident location multiple times prior to the altercation. Cotton further claimed that he “feared for (his) life.”
Cotton was placed under arrest and booked into Volusia County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond. He is being charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.