Police search for shooter after man gunned down in Daytona Beach drive-by

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A Daytona Beach man is dead after a shooting that may have been sparked by two incidents from the previous day, police said.

Police responded to a parking lot in the area of Oakridge Boulevard and North Halifax Avenue just after 4 a.m. Sunday where they found a man shot to death in his car.

He has been identified as Deandre Smith, 24, of Daytona Beach.

Investigators said the shooting started as a drive-by on the bridge crossing the Halifax River with the unknown assailants firing into Smith's car as both vehicles traveled eastbound on the bridge.

“There was some type pf altercation on top of the bridge where one vehicle was shooting at another vehicle,” said Jimmie Flynt of the Daytona Beach Police Department.

Smith's vehicle came to a rest against the curb in the parking lot of a nearby dentist's office, where he was found in the driver's seat.

The other vehicle, a white Nissan, was found several hours after the incident.

Police said two earlier disturbances may have led to the shooting, one from the previous day in Daytona Beach and another at Papi’s Bottle Club in the county's jurisdiction.

There was little information available on the previous incidents.

“One that happened at Papi’s and one that happened inside the city limits of Daytona Beach yesterday afternoon,” Flynt said.

The Oakridge Boulevard Bridge was closed for several hours as police collected evidence from the scene.

Pappi’s Bottle club is no stranger to criminal investigation.

In March, a fight led to the club owner’s wife opening fire on a man.

Last September, a holly Hill police officer was almost run over by a woman during an event at the club.

Police aren’t releasing any other information about the prior incidents.

WFTV