POINCIANA, Fla. — Last Saturday morning, a conversation about property lines and yard debris took a dangerous turn on Reindeer Drive, prompting a police response and multiple felony charges against one resident.
Polk County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Poinciana neighborhood around 10:30 a.m. on January 10, 2026, following reports of an armed confrontation. The catalyst for the violence was reportedly a dispute over tree limbs.
According to the affidavit, a resident approached his neighbor, 27-year-old Jeltsin O’Neill Merced Zayas, to discuss debris from Merced Zayas’s trees falling into his yard. The discussion quickly escalated from a civil complaint into a heated argument.
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The victim told investigators that Merced Zayas retreated into his home during the verbal altercation and returned brandishing a black handgun equipped with an extended magazine.
The sight of the weapon caused the neighbor to flee back to his own property. However, the dispute continued over the fence line. It was during this exchange that Merced Zayas allegedly fired the weapon.
When deputies arrived on the scene to investigate, they asked Merced Zayas for consent to search his residence for the firearm. He refused, telling the deputies to “get a search warrant.”
Investigators secured the warrant and subsequently searched the home. They located the firearm inside Merced Zayas’ bedroom.
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Following the discovery, Merced Zayas admitted to investigators that he had discharged the weapon into the ground in an attempt to scare his neighbor. He further admitted to retrieving the spent bullet casing from the yard and concealing it in his bedroom before law enforcement arrived.
Merced Zayas was arrested and transported to the Sheriff’s Processing Center. He faces a litany of charges, including:
- Use of a Firearm During a Felony
- Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon
- Tampering with Evidence
- Improper Exhibit of a Firearm
- Discharging a Firearm in Public
- Culpable Negligence
No injuries were reported during the incident.
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