Manhunt continues for a suspect in the shooting of a Daytona Beach officer
By Joe Sutton, CNN
A manhunt continued Thursday after a police officer was shot in Daytona Beach, Florida, authorities said.
“A $100,000 reward is now available for anyone who can help authorities locate the man who shot one of our officers in the head earlier this evening,” the Daytona Beach Police Department said in a tweet Wednesday, which included an edited short video of the encounter.
The officer has been identified as 26-year old Jason Raynor. Raynor has been with the department since February 2019, police Chief Jakari Young said. Prior to that, Raynor was with the Port Orange Police Department.
According to Young, there “hasn’t been much of a change” with regard to Raynor’s status at the hospital. “He’s fighting and we all are praying,” Young said, adding that the officer’s mother and sister are at his bedside.
A community prayer vigil was held outside Halifax Health Medical Center.
Police have identified the suspect as Othal Wallace, 29, and they described him as armed and dangerous.
What happened
The shooting happened just before 9 p.m. Wednesday as Raynor was conducting what was described as a “proactive patrol.”
“Upon arrival, he contacted a coward that was sitting inside a 2016 Honda vehicle with a California tag on it. As he was escorting him out of the car, at some point the suspect turns and shoots my officer one time in the head,” Young said.
More than 500 officers responded, the chief said, and Wallace may be in a “gray 2016 Honda HRV with a California tag.”
The suspect is believed to be a local resident, according to Young, and technology suggests the suspect may be in the Deltona area, which is why Volusia County is being searched.
Deltona is located about 30 miles from Daytona Beach.
“This entire county is on lockdown until we track this coward down,” Young said.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
