A Florida man accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend on Tuesday morning because he thought she was her ex-boyfriend.

According to Daytona Beach police, 37-year-old suspect Chad Keene, who fled from the shooting scene, was found in the passenger seat of a car traveling around Ormond Beach on Tuesday at around 5:30 p.m.

Crime Online reported that many police officers were deployed around a home in Glenview Boulevard near Peninsula Drive, where Keene was believed to be after the shooting incident. Three schools in the area were also placed on lockdown.

Authorities said a group of police officers and a SWAT team left that area after they confirmed that the suspect was not in the house, which cops had surrounded for hours. Authorities believed the Florida man managed to escape early on and was picked up.

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Florida Man Shoots and Kills Girlfriend

WESH reported that preliminary information revealed the shooting incident stemmed from a love triangle situation.

Police Chief Jakari Young said Chad Keene's 30-year-old girlfriend Karli Elliott and her ex-boyfriend got into an argument at a 7-Eleven and left in separate directions. Young noted that Elliott then called Keene, who came to the same area.

When Elliott walked around a corner at Glenview Boulevard, the Florida man fired his gun, thinking Elliott's ex-boyfriend would be rounding the corner. Keene struck his girlfriend instead and fled.

Police said Elliott was rushed to a hospital but died hours later. Young noted that police believed Elliott was not the intended victim as Keene intended to shoot her ex-boyfriend, who had not been identified, Fox 35 Orlando reported 

Reports said Elliott's ex-boyfriend responded and even gave aid to her before she was brought to the hospital. Charges against Chad Keene for the shooting have not yet been announced. According to Volusia County Corrections, the Florida man has a lengthy record of drug charges and parole violations that date back to 2003.

Gun Violence in Florida

The death rate of firearm injuries across the country for children aged five to 14 nearly doubled from early 2020 to early 2021, WFLA reported.

The per capita death rate for those 5 to 14 was 1.0 in the first quarter of 2020. The per capita is 100,000 people. The number rose to 1.8 nationally in the first quarter of 2021.

The number was reportedly much higher for children in Florida than in the rest of the country in 2020. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also showed that it went up in 2021.

The crude data rate for the country was 12.3 per 100,000 in 2020, and it was 13.5 in Florida. Both stats reportedly went up the following year.

Most deaths across the country were among boys. More than six times more boys were reportedly killed due to gun violence in 2020 and 2021. The CDC report said the increase in homicides across the country came simultaneously with an increase in guns in circulation.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Daytona Beach Man Accused of Accidentally Shooting, Killing Girlfriend in Custody - From WESH 2 News