July 28, 2010
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

DEPUTIES INVOLVED IN SHOOTING WHILE AT DOMESTIC CALL

A domestic quarrel in Deltona late Wednesday afternoon ended in gunfire, with a man shooting his wife in the arm and then firing into the air as responding Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies tried to quell the fracas. About an hour into the call, the armed man -- 48-year-old Clayton Gonsalves -- advanced on deputies and they opened fire to defend themselves. Gonsalves was struck at least once and was airlifted by a Sheriff’s Office helicopter to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach for treatment. His wife, 45-year-old Sislyn Gonsalves, was transported to Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City for treatment of a gunshot wound to the left arm.

Deputies were dispatched to the scene at 2820 Lake Helen Osteen Road after yelling and screaming could be heard during a 911 call that came from the house at 4:43 p.m. After the call disconnected, dispatchers called back and spoke to a female who said that her father had just shot her mother and that everyone except the father had fled the house and gone down the road to seek safety. Deputies began arriving a few minutes later to try to resolve the conflict, but Clayton Gonsalves walked around the backyard of his house and at one point emerged from behind a shed and fired a round into the air. Deputies took cover and quickly cordoned off the neighborhood as a safety precaution while crisis negotiators responded to try to talk to the man. Shortly before 6 p.m., members of the Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT Team moved in to position to replace patrol units in the inner perimeter in order to enable the patrol units to pull back and reposition themselves. That’s when Gonsalves emerged and advanced on SWAT deputies, ignored their commands to drop his weapon and pointed it at deputies. Deputies on the SWAT Team then fired to protect themselves.

The incident remains under investigation. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement also will be brought in to investigate, which is customary in officer-involved shootings.

UPDATE: Names of Deputies Who Fired Weapons in Deltona Shooting. - 08:15 p.m. 
 

The deputies who fired their weapons in today's shooting in Deltona (see below news release) are as follows:

 

Sgt. Tom Dane, 46 years old, 22-year veteran with the Sheriff's Office

Sgt. Vidal Mejias, 35 years old, 15-year veteran with the Sheriff's Office.