Police have arrested a 17-year-old in connection with the DeLand double murder that killed two childhood friends late last month, and the announcement has been followed by a pointed public statement about the suspect’s prior contacts with the justice system.

Keyan Jayden Rundell of DeLand was identified as a suspect Tuesday and taken into custody Wednesday in Manatee County. He faces two counts of second-degree murder.

How the Arrest Happened

U.S. Marshals confirmed they assisted in the arrest, which occurred around 8 a.m. at a Super 8 motel on 17th Street East in Ellenton.

Rundell opened the door of his room and was taken into custody without incident.

He is being held at the Manatee County jail while awaiting extradition to Volusia County.

The Evidence That Led There

DeLand Police Chief Jason Umberger described an investigation that moved from video to physical evidence.

Surveillance footage captured Rundell, which gave investigators enough to obtain a search warrant for a residence roughly three miles from the scene.

That search produced the material that made the identification official. Umberger said investigators recovered clothing they believe the suspect was wearing, along with an e-bike they believe he rode to and from the location on the night of the killings.

The search warrant was executed Saturday and the arrest warrant issued Sunday, though details of the warrant were not made public until Tuesday.

Police believe Rundell acted alone as the only shooter, but additional arrest warrants remain possible for anyone who may have aided or abetted him.

The Victims

Dustin Rose, 19, and Samson Campbell, 18, were found around 10:40 p.m. on July 29 in the area of 213 W. New York Ave., on a vacant industrial property behind the Athens Theatre.

Rose was from DeLeon Springs and had been living in South Carolina, where he attended the Citadel and served in the South Carolina Army National Guard.

Campbell was from DeLand and had recently moved to Chicago.

Police believe one of the young men’s mothers discovered the scene and called authorities.

A Connection, But No Clear Motive

Umberger said the motive remains unclear, but investigators believe the victims and the shooter were known to each other.

What is established, he said, is that the young men knew each other in some capacity and met at that location on the evening of Tuesday, July 28.

The Prosecution Question

State Attorney R.J. Larrizza addressed how the case will be handled on Wednesday, and his comments indicate the current charges may not be final.

He said cases like this are typically charged as adults, and that his office will also evaluate whether second-degree murder is the appropriate charge or whether more serious charges are warranted.

The distinction matters considerably. Second-degree murder generally involves a killing committed with a depraved mind but without premeditation. First-degree murder requires premeditation and carries substantially harsher penalties.

The Sheriff’s Statement

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood issued a blunt statement following the arrest, focused not on the current case but on what preceded it.

He said the 17-year-old had been the recipient of years of second chances, dropped charges and lack of prosecution in the 9th Judicial Circuit covering Orange and Osceola counties.

The list he cited stretches back to 2021 and includes aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, multiple battery counts, criminal mischief, vehicle theft, trespassing, drug possession, a second aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and resisting an officer.

According to Chitwood, those charges were dropped, not filed, dismissed, or at best resolved with probation.

He noted that before this incident, Rundell was participating in a diversion program for drug possession and disturbing a school function.

His conclusion was direct: two young men are gone, and it is worth asking whether things would have unfolded differently had the system held the teen accountable earlier.

The Debate That Follows

Statements like Chitwood’s tend to open a genuine and unresolved argument in juvenile justice.

One view holds that repeated leniency removes deterrence and allows escalating behavior to continue unchecked until something catastrophic occurs.

The competing view holds that juvenile diversion exists because adolescent brains are still developing, that most young offenders do not escalate, and that early incarceration frequently produces worse long-term outcomes than intervention.

Both positions have evidence behind them. What neither can do is predict which individual case will end where this one did.

Community Cooperation Mattered

Umberger credited residents with helping close the case, noting that police received more than 30 tips during the investigation and describing them as playing a pivotal role.

He said he hopes residents can rest better knowing the suspect has been located, and stated earlier in the week that the families of Rose and Campbell deserve justice.

What Comes Next

Extradition to Volusia County is the immediate step, followed by a charging decision from the state attorney’s office.

Several questions remain open. Whether additional arrests follow for anyone who assisted. Whether prosecutors elevate the charges. And whether investigators ever establish a motive for a meeting between people who knew each other that ended with two of them dead.