Deputies: Palm Coast man shoots, kills home intruder
PALM COAST — One man is dead and another man is facing charges after the pair, armed with handguns, invaded a home early Wednesday morning and were confronted by a resident armed with a gun.
Carl Devore, 19, turned himself in shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Flagler County Sheriff's Office Operations Center and is facing charges of second-degree murder and attempted home invasion robbery, sheriff's spokesman Jim Troiano said. Devore was booked into the Flagler County Inmate Facility without bail.
Deputies and a K-9 team had been unable to find Devore, who fled the residence at 3A Frank Place, where his accomplice, 28-year-old Victor James Betty, died after one of the residents shot him about 2 a.m. Wednesday, Troiano said.
According to a sheriff's report, five adults and a 2-year-old were inside the home when the incident unfolded. One of the residents, Darien Corbett, 21, told investigators that he and his roommates were vacuuming a new rug "and the next thing I know my door is being kicked in and and I see a gun in my face."
Corbett said he tried to hold the door closed while he retrieved his .40-caliber gun.
"I opened the door and he pointed it and I just closed my eyes and shot twice and then my gun stopped working," Corbett told investigators.
By the time deputies arrived, one of the intruders, later identified as Betty, was lying face down on the floor just inside the front door with a black cloth around his face. He was later pronounced dead by paramedics.
Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Laura Williams was unsure Wednesday if Corbett would face any charges, but said investigators would be meeting with the State Attorney's Office to determine whether or not the shooting was justified.
"But given the Castle Doctrine, as they call it, our law permits someone to defend their home," Williams said.
She said call records show deputies have responded to the residence on five separate occasions since April for service calls ranging from suspicious activity to criminal mischief and verbal disturbance.
Betty and Devore, both of Palm Coast, armed themselves and went to the home "seeking marijuana," Troiano said investigators had learned.
One of the other residents who witnessed the encounter told investigators the masked intruders had demanded money.
The scene outside the home was somber and tense late Wednesday morning as residents were brought back after several hours of talking with investigators. They were escorted by a Sheriff's Office detective and a victim's advocate and declined to talk to a News-Journal reporter.
Deputy Bobby Blanton said the residents had been up all night and so were not at their best.
The residential neighborhood where the shooting occurred is east of Interstate 95 and west of Old King's Road, near Friendship Drive.
The incident marked Flagler County's first shooting death since 46-year-old John Stubbs was shot dead in front of his Bunnell home in November.
(READ: Body found outside Bunnell home)
Investigators are urging anyone with information about the incident to call the Sheriff's Office at 386-313-4911, or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at 888-277-8477 (TIPS). Those tipsters may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
