Editorial illustration of a red light at night. Not a photograph of the crash scene.

U.S. DUI NEWS · CASE UPDATE

Ocala, Florida · November 7, 2026

Ocala, Florida | November 7, 2026

An Ocala officer spoke to two brothers in a van blocking a traffic lane early on September 29. Minutes after police let them leave, a mother and her son were dead. On November 5, WFTV reported a new detail from an arrest affidavit: the driver, Joel Gonzalo Zelaya, 33, had a blood alcohol level of 0.26 after the crash. [WFTV, Nov. 5: blood test · WFTV: body-camera footage and internal review]

What the cameras caught

The officer’s body camera recorded someone in the van saying one of the brothers had drunk too much. Police Chief Mike Balken said the officer should have investigated possible impairment. Separately, passenger Cristian Zelaya later told a detective he had warned his brother Joel against driving, according to the affidavit. [Ocala Gazette: crash investigation · WFTV: body-camera footage and internal review]

Around 2:45 a.m., DeLawn Marshall Duncan, 50, was turning left from Southeast Maricamp Road onto Southeast 36th Avenue. Her son, Eric McGill, 31, was riding with her. Investigators said a nearby store camera showed a red light facing the approaching van. Its airbag module recorded 70 mph at impact on a road posted at 50 mph. Duncan and McGill died at the scene. [Ocala Gazette: crash investigation]

Two investigations followed

Police arrested Joel Zelaya on October 30 on two counts of DUI manslaughter. The charges have not been proved in court. The police department also opened an internal review and placed the lead officer on paid leave. The State Attorney’s Office told WFTV it did not consider the officer’s conduct a criminal matter. [Ocala Gazette: crash investigation · WFTV: body-camera footage and internal review]

Duncan and McGill both worked in health care. In their obituaries, Duncan’s family remembered how much her five children’s education mattered to her. McGill was a Forest High School graduate who loved trips to Disney parks and had a soft spot for cats. [Ocala Gazette: crash investigation]