Jason Futch
reporter2.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Suwannee County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) Deputy Justin Dalton is recovering after being shot by a suspect wanted for the fatal shootings of store clerk Laura Darley and beverage truck driver Julian Green in Gadsden County. The suspect, 44-year-old Arizona resident Dominic Caroway, also shot two others at the Mobil Gas Station and Food Mart in Shiloh, Fla., wounding them in the parking lot.
Deputy Dalton was part of a group of law enforcement officers from the Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Agricultural Law Enforcement and SCSO when Caroway crashed his vehicle near Wayne Frier Home Center in Live Oak. After the crash, Caroway opened fire on the officers, injuring Dalton in the ensuing shootout. He was shot in the foot, but thanks to a ballistic vest provided by the agency, his injuries were not more severe.
"A center mass shot would have caused immediate incapacitation had he not had a ballistic vest," said SCSO Sgt. Wayne Kelly. "His vest saved his life."
Five hours after Dalton was shot, officers from the Live Oak Police Department (LOPD) were dispatched to an area near Suwannee Valley Pine Straw on Houston Street, where they engaged in a shootout with Caroway. LOPD officers were able to hit Caroway, resulting in his death. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently investigating the shooting.
While investigators worked the scene, Deputy Dalton was recovering at HCA Florida Hospital in Live Oak. Later that evening, he was discharged and will continue his recovery at home. A timeline for Dalton's return to duty has not yet been established, but SCSO emphasized the importance of his well-being and continued recovery.
"Thank you to everyone who has checked on us," McKenzie Crews Dalton shared in a social media post. "Justin is doing well, and we are heading home. We appreciate all the prayers. God was definitely watching over him."
On Monday, Feb. 10, during a Legislative Delegation meeting in Live Oak, Representative Jason Shoaf and Senator Corey Simon honored Dalton by presenting him with the flag that was flown over the State Capitol on Friday, Feb. 7, the day he was shot.
The ceremony also featured Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young and his staff honoring Dalton and the law enforcement officers involved in the search for and apprehension of Caroway.
Photo courtesy of McKenzie Crews Dalton Suwannee County Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Dalton is joined by his wife, McKenzie Dalton, and his son, Crew Dalton, while recovering at HCA Florida Hospital in Live Oak. Dalton was shot while attempting to apprehend 44-year-old murder suspect Caroway Dominic.
Riverbend News photo by Christian Peterson, February 10, 2025
Deputy Justin Dalton (Center right) is presented the flag that was flown over the State Capitol on Monday, Feb. 10, at the Suwannee County Legislative Delegation meeting.