The DeLand double homicide that left two young men dead behind a historic downtown theatre now has a possible explanation, laid out in an arrest affidavit released Friday. According to the document, the shooting followed an attempted robbery during a marijuana sale.

The affidavit was written in connection with the arrest of 41-year-old Daytron W. Etkins, identified as the father of the teenager accused of pulling the trigger.

The Charges

Keyan Jayden Rundell, 17, was taken into custody Wednesday in Manatee County. He faces two counts of second-degree murder.

The victims were Dustin Rose, 19, and Samson Campbell, 18. Both were found behind the Athens Theatre in DeLand with multiple gunshot wounds.

Etkins was arrested Friday morning in Lake County on a charge of accessory after the fact. DeLand police Capt. Prurince Dice framed that arrest pointedly, saying family ties do not put anyone beyond the reach of the law or justify interfering with an investigation.

DeLand police Chief Jason Umberger had previously said the motive remained unclear. The affidavit changes that picture considerably.

What Was Found at the Scene

Investigators documented several items with the bodies that shape the account described in the document:

• A loaded 9mm handgun resting in the crook of one of Campbell’s arms
• A canister of self-defense pepper spray in one of Rose’s hands
• A plastic bag nearby containing a green leafy substance that tested presumptive positive for cannabis

Rose was also wearing a sling-style zippered pouch, a detail that becomes relevant to a witness account described later in the affidavit.

The Surveillance Timeline

Detectives canvassed the area and pulled footage from several camera systems, assembling a sequence of movements.

Rose and Campbell were captured in Chess Park before walking toward the Athens Theatre. Around the same window, a figure identified in the affidavit as Etkins’ son was recorded riding an electric bicycle in the same direction.

Police described what the cameras showed next in specific terms. The rider stopped at the northwest corner of the theatre and stayed there for seven to eight seconds, appearing to adjust something at his front waistband. He then moved into the secluded area behind the building, the same spot where the bodies were later found.

He remained out of camera view for roughly three minutes before reappearing and leaving northbound toward Rich Avenue on the e-bike.

As he rode away, investigators observed him wiping his face and spitting, behaviour they interpreted as consistent with someone recently exposed to pepper spray.

Tracing the Suspect

The investigation advanced through a combination of records and witness identification. A subpoena went to AT&T for Campbell’s contact history, and a confidential source picked the e-bike rider out of a photographic lineup.

That led detectives to a search warrant for a residence, where they found an electric bicycle matching the one captured in the earlier footage.

Home surveillance footage from that address produced further material. Police described the suspect pacing indoors while on a phone call, removing his clothing, and pouring milk over his face in what the affidavit characterizes as an effort to relieve the effects of pepper spray.

He was then recorded opening the door for a second confidential source, and separately meeting, embracing and speaking with Etkins.

The Grill and the Umbrella

One portion of the affidavit deals with what investigators believe was an attempt to destroy evidence.

Searching the property, detectives noted an outdoor grill that smelled of burned plastic and appeared to hold burned clothing. Footage showed the suspect carrying clothing while following Etkins outside toward it.

Police described the moment in detail. Etkins took a cigarette from his mouth and appeared to say something. The other individual nodded and immediately opened a patio umbrella, positioning it so that it blocked the camera’s view of the grill and the surrounding area where investigators later concluded material had been deliberately burned.

A vehicle at the residence provided another link. A detective ran an SUV seen in the footage through the FLOCK license plate database, which showed multiple detections in the Eustis area over preceding days. Investigators knew Etkins lived in Eustis.

The Witness Account

Detectives eventually located the mother of the second confidential source, then spoke with that individual directly. She told police she had met the suspect roughly three months earlier and regularly bought marijuana and THC cartridges from him.

According to her statement, he FaceTimed her about an hour after the shooting, sounding panicked and pleading with her to come to his house. He would not explain over the phone. When she arrived, he brought her inside quickly and seemed paranoid, repeatedly checking that the front door was locked and looking through the peephole.

She relayed the account he gave her. He had arranged to sell marijuana to someone else that day, then received a call from one of the two victims and chose to meet them instead. He indicated he had sold to one of them previously and went to meet them behind the theatre.

She said he carried the marijuana and a firearm in a plastic bag and rode his e-bike to the meeting.

His description of what followed, as she recounted it, was that one of the young men had a gun and the other had pepper spray. The pair asked to smell the marijuana and removed it from the bag to do so, which left the firearm behind with him. He said the larger of the two moved behind him in an attempt to rob him and take the product.

He described one of them trying to spray him and the other pointing a gun at him, demanding to know where money was and threatening to kill him. When they took the marijuana, he said he panicked, took hold of his gun and fired at both.

He also told her he left the weapon at the scene.

Asked why he did not contact police with a self-defense account, she said he replied that he did not believe anyone would listen, citing his race and theirs.

Police said Etkins later returned to the location to recover the firearm used in the shooting.

This remains a developing case, and additional details are expected as the investigation proceeds.