A teen accused of fatally shooting two people in DeLand was arrested at a Bradenton-area motel after investigators tracked him there, authorities said.
DeLand police announced Aug. 5 that 17-year-old Keyan Rundell was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service, with assistance from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, after investigators tracked him to the Super 8 Motel in Ellenton, near Bradenton and about 15 miles north of Sarasota County.
During a news conference, DeLand Police Chief Jason Umberger said Rundell is accused of fatally shooting two teens he knew after arranging to meet them in a concealed lot behind the Athens Theatre on July 29.
Manatee County spokesman Randy Warren said members of the sheriff's office Warrants Unit learned
Rundell was staying at the Super 8 Motel, 5218 17th St. E. in Ellenton. Deputies and a K-9 unit located him in Room 126 about 8:30 a.m. and took him into custody without incident.
"He answered the door and was taken into custody without incident," Warren said in an email to The News-Journal.
Rundell was charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Dustin Rose, 19, and Samson Campbell, 18, Umberger said.
Rundell was being held in the Manatee County jail and will be extradited to Volusia County to face the murder charges, Umberger said.
Florida murder victims discovered dead behind a trailer
Rose and Campbell were discovered dead behind a trailer in an industrial lot behind the Athens Theatre around 10:40 p.m. on July 29, police said.
The teens had been shot multiple times, according to police.
On Aug. 5, Umberger said investigators did not know why the three acquaintances met at the lot at 213 W. New York Ave.
"At this time we cannot speak to the exact motive, and we have limited information that points to why or for what reasons the three of them came together at the rear of 213 W. New York Ave., in that very concealed area of our downtown," Umberger said.
"What we do know is that these young men knew each other in some capacity and met up on Tuesday evening, July 28, at that location, and that this meeting resulted in the shooting of multiple rounds and murders of Dustin Rose and Samson Campbell."
DeLand murder suspect rode e-bike to and from crime scene, police chief said
Umberger said that from the time the bodies of Rose and Campbell were found July 29, his investigators spent hundreds of hours — 1,200 hours to be exact — to find leads in the double homicide.
Investigators worked non-stop until Rundell's arrest Aug. 5. And less than 24 hours after the dead teens were found, investigators had their first lead, Umberger said.
"By the following afternoon, July 30, we had already obtained through investigative efforts, surveillance footage of an unidentified person of interest," Umberger shared at the press conference.
Investigators worked with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, and evidence they found led them to a Loughton Street home in the Glenwood Springs subdivision where a search warrant was executed Aug. 1, the chief said.
Clothing and an e-bike were seized from the home, Umberger said.
"During the search warrant, our investigators recovered clothing that we believe the suspect was wearing and the e-bike we believe he rode to and from the crime on the night of the murders, (and) other evidence that revealed his actions directly following the murder and evidence that positively identified him," the police chief said.
More arrests possible in DeLand double murder, police chief said
Umberger said Rundell was not at the Loughton Street home when they executed the search warrant on Aug. 1. The chief also said he did not know how the 17-year-old got to Manatee County.
Umberger also made it known that anyone who helped Rundell plan the murders or helped him elude police, could face arrest.
"I want to stress that additional arrests may be made in this case," Umberger said. "Investigators are focusing on any individuals who may have planned, aided or otherwise assisted Keyan (Rundell) in perpetrating the crime or concealing or destroying evidence of the crime or anyone who may have assisted him flee or who may have been harboring him."
DeLand murder case is a sad one, family member says
According to DeLand police, Rose and Campbell were childhood friends.
Rose was a former resident of DeLeon Springs, and Campbell was a former resident of DeLand, according to police.
Umberger said Rose was visiting from South Carolina, where he attended The Citadel, a military college in Charleston, and was a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard. Campbell had recently moved to Chicago, the chief said.
On Aug. 5, Thomas Rose, the grandfather and adopted father of Dustin Rose, said the crime is just a sad one for everyone involved.
"This is so sad because of his age," Thomas Rose said to The News-Journal when asked about Rundell's arrest. "What a waste."
Thomas Rose said he did not know Rundell, nor had he heard about the teen.
"We never even heard his name spoken before," Thomas Rose said.
Campbell's mother, Jessica Gonzalez, could not immediately be reached Aug. 5.
Dustin Rose was a dedicated member of The Citadel Military College, his commanders say
On Aug. 5, the U.S. Army Cadet Command of Fort Knox, Kentucky, said in a statement that Dustin Rose's passing was tragic and sad.
"It is with profound sadness that U.S. Army Cadet Command acknowledges the tragic passing of Cadet Dustin Rose, 19, of Deland, Florida," the statement said. "Cadet Rose was a dedicated member of our ROTC program at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, and chose to serve his country as a soldier in the South Carolina Army National Guard."
The U.S. Army Command also extended its condolences to Campbell's family "during this period of unimaginable grief."
"Cadet Rose represented the very best of our nation's future military leadership — possessing a servant's heart, a passion for service, and an unwavering commitment to defending our nation’s freedoms," the U.S. Army Command said in the statement.
― Patricio G. Balona is a crime and public safety reporter covering Volusia County and occasionally Flagler County. His coverage areas include Daytona Beach, DeLand, Ormond Beach and beyond.
Wade Tatangelo is the executive editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida dining and entertainment editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida teen accused in double murder arrested at Bradenton-area motel
