Newly released video shows woman firing gun outside Razzle's in Daytona Beach
A woman holds a pistol as fire shoots from its barrel outside Razzle’s nightclub in Daytona Beach, according to a security video released by prosecutors.
In the video, a person is already laying on the parking lot, kicking their legs up in the air as if in pain and then rolling over even before the shot is fired; their white sneakers clearly rising into view from behind a pickup truck.
Police identified the woman with the gun as Karla Bermudez, 29, of Daytona Beach.
The State Attorney’s Office formally charged Bermudez Aug. 16 with four counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm. Each count is punishable by up to life in prison.
Bermudez was also charged with carrying a concealed firearm in an unauthorized place, a second-degree misdemeanor, according to court records.
Bermudez, who listed two dependents in court records, has entered a not guilty plea.
According to police, Bermudez fired two shots just before midnight on July 22 near Razzle’s at 611 Seabreeze Blvd.
Those two bullets hit four people, according to court documents.
A man and a woman were each shot in the abdomen and arm. Police said Bermudez shot the woman during the fight and then shot the woman's boyfriend when he tried to separate them.
One injured man was not involved in the dispute and was selling water in the Razzle's parking lot when he was hit by a bullet, which grazed him in the left inner thigh.
A woman who was also standing in the parking lot was struck by a bullet in one of her arms.
All four were expected to make a full recovery, police said.
After the shooting at Razzle's
In the aftermath of the shooting, the city took a harder look at Razzle’s and the area in general. Police Chief Jakari Young on Aug. 12 suspended Razzle’s after hours' permit, citing more than 13 fight calls at the business since May 1 as well as numerous complaints about underage drinking.
But four days later, a special magistrate at a hearing allowed the business to stay open and serve alcohol from midnight to 2 a.m. The magistrate, though, required Razzle’s to abide by certain conditions, including a limit on the size of purses and bags and a requirement that security be assigned to the parking lot.
The city has also proposed stricter rules on nightclubs, including having metal detectors at the door.
Since the shooting, the police department opened an already-planned substation Sept. 1 near Razzle’s.
What happened at Razzle's in Daytona?
After firing the gun, the woman identified as Bermudez is joined by another woman. A couple of men nearby jog or run away, one heads out of the parking lot and the other runs behind some parked vehicles before climbing over a fence.
The woman identified as Bermudez walks away, briefly stepping out of the frame. She then walks back into the frame while extending her right arm holding the gun and pointing it toward where the person was seen on the ground. A man walks over and is seen squatting down in the area where the person had been on the ground as the woman with the gun points the weapon in that direction.
The woman identified as Bermudez then walks toward the other side of the white pickup and says something to the woman who had joined her previously. The pair then walk away with the woman still holding the gun.
Both women exit the frame but re-enter a few seconds later. They walk along parked vehicles before crossing over what appears to be a short wall and walking away. The gun is not visible in this part of the video.
Bermudez was being held without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail. She is represented by Assistant Public Defender John J. Terhune, who filed a motion July 30 to set a bond for Bermudez.
In the motion, Terhune cites Florida’s stand-your-ground law, stating that a person is justified in using or threatening to use deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat, if they reasonably believe it is needed to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm or to prevent a forcible felony. The person using the deadly force cannot be engaged in criminal activity and has a right to be where they are, the motion states.
The motion refers to another video which it states showed a brawl of at least 20 people in the parking lot of Razzle's. It said the fight lasted nearly 10 minutes.
It stated that Razzle’s security did not intervene even though there was a live video feed of the parking lot which could be seen by Razzle’s personnel. The motion also stated there was no police presence.
It stated the violence put Bermudez in fear of great bodily harm or death for herself and the people she was with that evening.
Following an Aug. 24 hearing, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Blackburn denied the motion to set bond.
Bermudez's assistant public defender did not immediately return an email from The News-Journal as of Friday afternoon.
Bermudez's next court hearing is Nov. 8.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Razzle's shooting in Daytona Beach shown in newly released video
