Gadsden County Sheriff's Office identifies 'monster' who shot five people and killed two

Yahoo

11-02-2025

Authorities have identified the man who shot five people, killing two and injuring a deputy, in a horrific incident last week that spanned several counties in North Florida and led to a massive manhunt by police.
Gadsden County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Morris Young identified the killer as Dominic Caroway, a 44-year-old man from Avondale, Arizona.
'Dominic appears to have committed his heinous crimes as a 'lone wolf' (criminal acting alone and independent of others with no known affiliations),' the Sheriff's Office said in a Monday Facebook post.
The Sheriff's Office said his identity was confirmed through biometric identification, AFIS, the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, facial recognition technology and state of Arizona motor vehicle databases.
'Sheriff Young stated that the monster got what he deserved after taking the lives of innocent people and injuring three others,' the Sheriff's Office said in the post. He added that 'this type of criminal behavior has to stop' and with the help of federal, state and local law enforcement, it 'will be stopped.'
'Sheriff Young stated that criminal behavior of this nature can send shock waves of fear into a small community like Gadsden,' the Sheriff's Office said.. Lastly, Sheriff Young stated that no one should or will have to live in fear while living, visiting or working in Gadsden!!"
The man robbed the Mobil Gas Station and Food Mart on Friday afternoon, shooting four people, killing the cashier, Laura Darley, and a beer distributor, Julian Green of Tallahassee, and injuring two customers outside. He fled the scene, prompting a multi-agency manhunt by state and local law enforcement agencies.
After fleeing the scene, he led deputies, state troopers and other agencies on a chase early Saturday that ended with a crash in Suwannee County. After shooting and injuring a deputy and running away, he was killed in a confrontation with Live Oak police.
Little is known about Caroway, who appears to have a low profile online.
"We call him the mystery man, because we really don't know who he is," Young said Monday during a visit to Suwannee County.
Law enforcement officials, including Young, and state officials gathered Monday at the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office to honor Deputy Justin Dalton, who was shot in the foot during the incident. Dalton, who was using crutches to walk, was presented with the U.S. flag that was flying over the state Capitol at the time of the shooting.
State Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, and state Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, both participated in the ceremony. Simon urged people not to forget about the victims in Gadsden County who "won't get a chance to hug their loved ones again." He and Shoaf both praised law enforcement.
"As a father, I think about it, my kids could have been at that gas station or they could have been on the interstate or they could have been at the place where it ended," Shoaf said. "Everybody else runs away. You run toward it. So thank you."
Dalton thanked fellow officers who responded to the incident and officials who attended the ceremony.
"Thank you all for everybody coming today," Dalton said. "I appreciate it. It means a lot to me and my family."
Contact Jeff Burlew at [e-mail] or 850-599-2180.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Gadsden County sheriff IDs 'monster' who shot 5 people and killed 2