Argument Escalates To a Shooting at Palm Coast Econo Lodge, and 2 Men Are Arrested

Two men were arrested following a shooting at the Econo Lodge motel off Kingswood Drive in Palm Coast in late morning Tuesday. At least two shots were fired. No one was injured in the incident, which drew a substantial response by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

James L. Everett, 19, who was using the Econo Lodge as his current place of residence, faces felony charges of firing into a dwelling and tampering with evidence. Steven Hyatt, 22, also listing the motel as his address, faces a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.




A witness described to deputies that she’d been woken from sleep by the sound of men arguing, followed by gunshots. She stepped out of her room to investigate. She saw someone collecting two phones, a wallet and a phone cord before fleeing. She asked the man what had happened. “I didn’t do nothing,” the man replied. She called 911.

Deputies located and detained two men whose descriptions matched those reported by witnesses: Lamahriion Shelton, who was found at the nearby McDonald’s, and Everett, who was found at the CVS across Old Kings Road. Both were initially non-compliant, according to a sheriff’s report. They were handcuffed and placed in separate patrol cars. Everett refused to consent to a test for gunshot residue on his person. Detectives secured a search warrant to conduct the swipe and collect Everett’s DNA.

Deputies found a handgun that appeared to have been recently throw in a storm grate near where Everett was detained. The handgun had similarities with that detected in video surveillance footage from the Econo Lodge.




Thought “somewhat uncooperative” during his interview, according to a sheriff’s report, Shelton was more forthcoming when deputies showed him surveillance footage. He said a resident on the motel’s second floor had “presented” a firearm at him and Everett in such a way that Shelton feared for his life,  and Everett fired in self-defense. Shelton and Everett then fled in different directions.

Shelton described the resident in question only as someone wearing a balaclava. He consented to a gunshot residue test and turned over his clothes as evidence. He was not arrested. The sheriff’s report does not indicate whether the shots penetrated the motel’s facade.

Surveillance footage from the Econo Lodge captured key moments of the incident. According to the sheriff’s report’s summary of the footage, Everett and Shelton are seen approaching the rear of the motel and arguing with someone off camera, on the second floor. Shelton removed his shirt and yelled aggressively at whoever was upstairs. The second-floor resident was later identified as Steven Hyatt. Hyatt stepped out of room 228, stood on the balcony, re-entered his room then came back out clutching something concealed in his hoodie pocket.

Soon after that, Everett “drew a handgun and fired two rounds in [Hyatt’s] direction,” according to the sheriff’s report. Shelton and Everett ducked and fled. Video surveillance saw Hyatt go back to his room holding a firearm in his left hand. The surveillance footage confirmed that no other individuals entered or exited room 228 after the incident. But others were inside.




The room had been rented by Hyatt’s mother. She went to the scene, apparently at law enforcement’s request, and told deputies that her three sons–Steven Hyatt, Kei’Tione Hyatt, and Lorenzo Prater–were in the room. She contacted them by phone and led them to exit the room without incident, and surrender to authorities.

Faced with the surveillance footage deputies showed him, Hyatt, according to the sheriff’s report, “admitted he was the individual in the video and confirmed he was holding a firearm. When asked why he retrieved the firearm, [Hyatt] was evasive and claimed he could not remember. He stated he heard two gunshots and saw two males but did not know who they were shooting at.”

A search warrant for room 228 produced a firearm and ammunition under a blow-up mattress, and a balaclava on one of the beds. Everett and Hyatt were booked at the Flagler County jail. Everett is being held on $10,000 bond. Hyatt posted bail on $5,000 bond and was released this morning. The source of the argument that led to the shooting remains unknown, though detectives have their suspicions: the location is not known as a paragon of virtuous living.