Prosecutors will not be pursuing charges in the deadly stabbing of a Navarre teen, which occurred last December after they concluded that the man who stabbed the teen was acting in self-defense.
That news came from the State Attorney’s Office late last week after they officially ended their investigation into the stabbing death of 18-year-old Daniel “Jeb” Bubanas of Navarre.
The sheriff’s office was able to obtain cell phone video taken during the time of the incident, which showed the man who stabbed Bubanas, Bruce Schroeder, acting in self-defense during a fight.
According to the incident report, numerous adults and teenagers were at a bonfire back on Dec. 16, 2016 at a popular party spot called the “power lines” in Midway near River Birch Road.
During the party, several fights broke out and the SRCSO was later called out to the disturbance at around 10:37 p.m. When deputies arrived on scene, they located four men with stab wounds or lacerations. Bubanas was in cardiac arrest from a single stab wound to the chest, according to the report. He was later transported to Gulf Breeze Hospital where he passed away from the injury.
Prior to him being transported to Gulf Breeze Hospital, the report indicated that several people on scene were trying to keep Bubanas alive utilizing clothing to help stop the bleeding.
The other three men, Schroeder, Ethan Frymark and Cole Tolbert were later treated for their injuries by EMS who were called out to the scene.
Tolbert, 17, was later transported to an area hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for his wounds.
Several witnesses told law enforcement that Tolbert, Frymark and Bubanas heard that someone had been punched in the face at the party. After hearing the allegations, the three attacked Schroeder because they thought it was him, the report stated.
During the beating, Schroeder lost consciousness and when he realized no one was coming to help him as he was being beaten, the man pulled out a pocket knife and started swinging it at the three men.
One of the swings hit Bubanas in his chest and punctured his heart.
Law enforcement later spoke to dozens of witnesses who saw what occurred.
The people on scene were directed to go to Liberty Church on Gulf Breeze Parkway, which the SRCSO was utilizing as a staging area. During the course of the investigation, the local sheriff’s office questioned nearly 3 dozen people who were as young as 17 and as old as 47.
A perimeter was later set up by deputies who conducted road blocks on the property to keep individuals from leaving the crime scene. One witness, who was stopped and secured in a patrol vehicle, stated that Bubanas and several other individuals who were gathered there that night started fighting earlier in the evening. The individual stated that Bubanas was fighting a “country boy”, later identified as Schroeder, earlier in the night and that shortly after the fight, the witness heard people crying and walked over to see Bubanas on the ground with a stab wound.
The extensive investigation hit several snags along the way due to the fact that many of the people who were on scene refused to give statements.
The sheriff’s office was later able to obtain cell phone video of the fight, which they submitted to the State Attorney’s Office, along with their full report of the incident, at the end of January.
