Donald Herbert Nielsen, 67, a White man from DeLand, Florida, was fatally shot on August 18, 2025, in a wooded homeless encampment behind the Dollar General at 745 N. Spring Garden Avenue. DeLand police were called to the area at about 10:25 to 10:30 that night after the person who would become the suspect called 911 and reported that he had been attacked and had shot his alleged attacker.
Officers found Nielsen dead at the scene, secured a firearm, and began piecing together what had happened in the camp during the hours before the shooting.
Investigators learned that Nielsen and Charles Eugene Iseman had reportedly been arguing on and off during the day over beer and cigarettes. According to an arrest report described in subsequent news coverage, a witness said the dispute included Iseman’s failure to buy beer for Nielsen. The witness and his girlfriend later went to a nearby 7-Eleven, and when they returned at around 10 p.m., the witness reportedly saw Iseman carrying a shotgun along the path toward Nielsen’s camp. The witness then encountered Nielsen in what appeared to be a kneeling or collapsed position and saw Iseman move his body. A spent shotgun shell was found and was reportedly cold when the witness picked it up. When the witness questioned Iseman about what had happened, Iseman allegedly responded in a way suggesting that he had dealt with the situation.
The physical evidence described by DeLand investigators painted a violent scene. Nielsen had been struck twice by high-brass turkey loads fired from a 20-gauge shotgun. One blast struck the inner area of his right knee, while another struck the back of his head. Investigators believed the head wound had been inflicted from relatively close range because shotgun-shell wadding was found in his skull. Police located the shotgun leaning against a tree on the way into the camp. They also found a baseball bat approximately 25 feet from Nielsen’s body and a knife under brush near him with its blade facing upward. His body was lying on its right side, with the positioning of his legs leading investigators to believe he had been in a kneeling position before falling.
Iseman maintained that he had acted in self-defense, but investigators identified significant problems with his account. He told police that he had been in his tent when he heard Nielsen falling in the woods and believed Nielsen was intoxicated. Iseman said he went to help him and brought the shotgun because he had previously been attacked by someone else. According to his account, he initially set the gun against a tree and tried to assist Nielsen, but Nielsen then began striking him in the face and throat with a bat. Police reported that Iseman had no visible marks or swelling consistent with the blows he described. He was taken to a hospital after the shooting because of high blood pressure concerns and was interviewed by detectives after being medically cleared.
During that interview, Iseman said he fought with Nielsen over the bat, backed away, retrieved the shotgun and fired after Nielsen stood up. He then claimed Nielsen rose again with a knife, prompting the second shot. Investigators challenged that sequence because the first shotgun blast had struck Nielsen in the knee, making the claim that he subsequently stood up questionable in their view. Iseman then altered portions of his account, saying he was no longer certain Nielsen had a knife because the area was dark and describing the shot to Nielsen’s head as essentially an unaimed shot. After detectives continued questioning the inconsistencies, Iseman requested an attorney and the interview ended.
Police took Iseman into custody following the shooting and charged him with second-degree murder. Early reporting said he was being held without bail after his hospitalization and booking. The current Volusia County inmate record continues to list the charge under Florida Statute 782.04 shows no bond, identifies the police arrest case as DL250003246 and the court case as 2025 105829 CFDL, and displays no disposition. The available public reporting and records reviewed identify Iseman as the only suspect arrested in Nielsen’s killing; no additional suspect, trial verdict, plea, conviction, dismissal, or other final resolution was located in those online records as of August 19, 2026.
