An active shooter was killed by a law enforcement sniper on Thursday after a lengthy shootout with members of the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, the VSO confirmed. 56-year-old Joseph DiFusco, the man accused of having fired over 200 rounds in his condo complex, was fatally shot several hours after the scary incident began.
According to the VSO, DiFusco began firing multiple rounds at vehicles and at other condos in the Kingston Shores condominiums in Ormond-by-the-Sea. He was reported to have shot at a VSO vehicle as it approached from inside his condo. The first response from law enforcement was to evacuate neighbors and re-route traffic, per the VSO’s description of the event.
For several hours no major updates were provided, other than that the then-unidentified shooter was still firing shots. This was all the community knew until the early afternoon, when it was announced that the shooter was dead. No other people were injured in the firefight except for DiFusco, a near-miraculous blessing given the seemingly intense nature of the confrontation. Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said DiFusco refused attempts to negotiate.
At 1:37 pm, the VSO confirmed the shooter’s identity as DiFusco, and said he’d been killed by a VSO sniper. He’s said to have fired in excess of 200 rounds at other condos within Kingston Shores and at VSO units who responded to the scene. Photos provided by law enforcement show multiple walls in the condo complex peppered with bullet holes, some with dozens in a small area.
The VSO has not provided any potential motive or target for the shooting, nor have they specified what type of firearm DiFusco was reportedly using or exactly how much ammunition he had on-hand. No prior arrest records exist for DiFusco in the Volusia County Branch Jail database. Chitwood said he was staying in an Airbnb vacation rental at Kingston Shores, and may have brought weapons from out-of-state. He has been reported to be from Connecticut, and may have been off of medications he was supposed to be taking.
Crazy stuff. Went right past this scene on the way to the in laws for Turkey, they live around the corner. Sad that this family will always remember Thanksgiving as a sad day from now on.
However, Glad the sheriff’s department had to do what they had to do to keep everyone else safe from getting hurt or killed.