Expand / Collapse search
☰

DeLand bar shooting: Police search for suspect after alleged dispute over $5 beer

By
Published  May 24, 2025 2:45pm EDT
Volusia County
FOX 35 Orlando

The Brief

    • A dispute over a $5 beer escalated into a shooting outside McCabe’s Bar in DeLand early Saturday morning. 
    • The suspect, identified as Calvin Roosevelt Gilbert, allegedly fired a shot at the victim, who was unharmed, before fleeing the scene in a tan 1999 Nissan Quest. 
    • Police are actively searching for Gilbert and urge the public not to approach him.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Police are searching for a man accused of firing a gun outside a downtown DeLand bar early Saturday morning following an argument over a $5 drink.

Shooting over alleged $5 beer

What we know:

According to the DeLand Police Department, the incident began at McCabe’s Bar, where Calvin Roosevelt Gilbert, 55, had been drinking with the victim, a man he had just met. Witnesses said Gilbert purchased a beer for the victim, then demanded repayment when the bar closed.

Calvin Roosevelt Gilbert | CREDIT: DeLand Police Department

The confrontation escalated outside in the rear parking lot, where Gilbert allegedly pulled a black handgun from a satchel and fired one shot from about three feet away. The victim ducked and was not injured, but the bullet struck a cooler and pierced the wall of an occupied building.

Officers with DeLand Police and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office responded around 2:05 a.m. Investigators recovered a single 9mm shell casing and confirmed damage from the gunfire. Surveillance footage captured Gilbert fleeing on foot and then driving off in a tan 1999 Nissan Quest van.

1999 Nissan Quest van | CREDIT: DeLand Police Department

Gilbert was positively identified by both the victim and bar staff in a photo lineup. No injuries were reported, and both parties intend to press charges.

Suspect not in custody

What you can do:

Authorities are urging anyone with information on Gilbert’s whereabouts to contact DeLand Police or submit a tip through Crime Stoppers. He is considered armed and should not be approached.

Second shooting at McCabe's Bar in a month

Dig deeper:

A deadly shooting took place at the same bar less than a month earlier.

Officers responded to McCabe's Bar located at 225 N. Amelia Ave. around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, May 3, 2025, after reports of gunfire. 

Former DeLand football start recruit accused of deadly bar shooting

Former DeLand football start recruit accused of deadly bar shooting

Newly released body camera video shows the arrest of Avantae Williams, a former college football player accused of fatally shooting a man at a bar in DeLand over the weekend.

According to authorities, approximately 40 people were inside McCabe’s when the gunfire erupted. The victim, 32-year-old Keshod Harris, was shot seven times in the chest during an altercation and later died from his injuries.  A second victim, an employee at a liquor store connected to the bar, was also injured—shot in both hands while trying to break up the fight.

Avantae Williams, a DeLand resident and a well-known former University of Miami football player, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection to the shooting.

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO:

The Source: The information in this article comes from a report from the DeLand Police Department. 

Volusia CountyDeLandCrime and Public Safety