A minor traffic crash led to one man's shooting death and another man's arrest on a second-degree murder charge in central Florida.
According to Port Orange Police, a van driven by 63-year-old Robert M. Gelles of Holly Hill rear-ended a truck slowing down for a traffic light Sunday afternoon. The truck's driver got out to talk to Gelles, who remained in his van.
Police said that's when Gelles shot 44-year-old Joseph E. Bailey III of New Smyrna Beach. Bailey was pronounced dead at a hospital. An autopsy was scheduled Monday.
Police Chief Gerald Monahan told The Daytona Beach News-Journal surveillance video from a nearby business showed nothing wrong with Bailey's behavior.
It's normal for drivers to speak to each other after similar car crashes, he said.
"There's nothing wrong with doing that, but there's plenty wrong with deadly force,'' he told the newspaper Sunday. "There's no reason for what happened here today, no justifiable reason.''
Monahan said Gelles' van had minor damage after the crash.
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Gelles was held without bail. Volusia County jail records don't show whether he has an attorney.
