Elmer Panameno Zelaya, a 53-year-old resident of Flagler County, Florida, was shot to death on May 7, 2024, in Port Orange. The incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. on Elda Lane, off Spruce Creek Road, south of Nova Road. Police responded to the scene and found Zelaya suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The dispute that led to the shooting involved Zelaya and his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Collins, who resided in the Port Orange home where the incident
took place. Collins had reportedly told Zelaya not to come to her residence, but he attempted to break in anyway. During the altercation, Zelaya allegedly picked up a Bluetooth speaker and bashed it over the head of Santiago Carlos Hernandez Castrodad, who was present at the scene. The fight escalated and moved into the front yard, where Hernandez Castrodad shot Zelaya to death. A witness reported hearing six or seven gunshots.
Santiago Carlos Hernandez Castrodad, a 40-year-old resident of Edgewater, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He has been held in the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond since his arrest. Hernandez Castrodad has a prior record, having been booked twice before in Volusia County, once in 2007 without a listed charge, and again in 2009 for domestic battery.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and as of the current date, there is no indication that investigators are considering self-defense or defense-of-property as justifications for the lethal force used by Hernandez Castrodad.
