VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Volusia County employee was shot and killed Thursday morning in an instance of work place violence that investigators say may have erupted from a love triangle. 

The Volusia County Sheriff's Department identified the suspect as 43-year-old Damian DeRousha, of Edgewater, who has been with the county as a special projects coordinator since 2003. According to Sheriff Mike Chitwood, after asking to use some personal time to fix a family matter, DeRousha drove over to the fleet maintenance building from his workplace down the street.

He then confronted the victim, 31-year-old Donald Geno, of Edegwater, and accused him of having an inappropriate relationship with his wife, who also works there. Chitwood said the suspect shot the victim multiple times, who later died at Halifax Hospital. 

“For Volusia County it is rare, we haven’t had it but I think when you look historically through the country when work place violence pops up there is normally some type of intimate relationship that causes this kind of violence,” said Chitwood. 

After the shooting, the suspect put down the gun and his belongings and waited by his truck, Chitwood said, adding that DeRousha confessed the crime to deputies when they arrived.

“This wasn’t random, this was obviously thought about and it was carried out,” said Chitwood. 

According to Nicole Sharbono, Senior Vice President of Clinical Services at SMA healthcare, while there are no signs work place violence is on the rise, she explained people are definitely dealing with more stress right now.

“The pandemic and all of the additional complications that it has brought to our life, we do do see people are struggling to deal with what might be a normal life circumstance or not even a normal circumstance but a stressor that they are experiencing that otherwise they might have handled well," she said. "Now they seem to struggle with it a little bit more."

Sharbpmp explained that there are usually signs that someone may commit an act of workplace violence, but Chitwood said that was not the case here.

“He went to his supervisor, there were no signs that he was under stress or duress very matter of factly, and obviously walked up and for lack of a better term executed the employee,” said Chitwood. 

There were several witnesses to the crime. The county is offering grief counseling to employees. 

“Our immediate concern is for the safety and welfare of our employees,” said Volusia County Manager George Recktenwald. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and his family and loved ones, as well as his co-workers and other county employees who are understandably shaken up by the incident. This is a terrible tragedy, and we’re still processing today’s events, supporting our county family at this difficult time and grieving the loss of one of our own.”

DeRousha was being held without bond on a charge of first degree murder.