DELTONA, Fla. — An arrest has been made in the shooting at a house party on Halloween weekend that left one teenager dead and injured another, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
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Markland Roberts, 43, of Deltona is being charged with manslaughter and attempted manslaughter with a firearm, the sheriff’s office said. He posted his $35,000 bond less than two hours of being booked Wednesday evening.
Tonight, after a thorough investigation, detectives arrested Markland Roberts, 43, Deltona, in the Oct. 30 shooting at a house party that killed Xyrus Zelaya, 16, and injured another juvenile victim. Roberts is charged with manslaughter and attempted manslaughter w/ a firearm.
— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) December 2, 2021
Deputies said Deltona High School student Xyrus Zelaya, 16, was at a house party on Waterview Drive when someone shot him at around midnight on Oct. 30.
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Zelaya was taken to a hospital after the shooting where he died, deputies said.
A second shooting victim at the party, a 17-year-old boy, survived.
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The sheriff’s office said it did more than 50 interviews where witnesses said Zelaya and his friend arrived to the party uninvited and was told to leave. The sheriff said a witness claimed one of the people with Zelaya said he was going to “light this place up.” A bottle was thrown from the car Zelaya was in and a shot was fired.
Zelaya’s father said he was not ready to talk about the case. The state attorney also declined to comment but said it is planning to meet with Zelaya’s family.
READ: 16-year-old shot and killed at house party, deputies say
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