Suspect accused of shooting Florida officer arrested

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A man accused of shooting a Florida police officer in the head was captured early Saturday on a wooded property just outside of Atlanta that’s affiliated with an all-Black, pro-gun organization, police said.

Othal Toreyane Resheen Wallace, 29, was found in a treehouse on the 3-acre property during the execution of a search warrant, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young told reporters at a news conference.

Wallace was accused of shooting Daytona Beach officer Jason Raynor, 26, after Raynor approached Wallace as he sat in a vehicle Wednesday night. Wallace has been charged with attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer with a firearm.

Young said law enforcement searched for 56 hours with little sleep to track down Wallace.

The property where Wallace was found is affiliated with the pro-gun group known as the NFAC, Young said. The organization is known to demonstrate against white supremacy and police violence. Young said the treehouse was fortified with weapons and ammunition.

“There is no place for hate in Florida,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Twitter. “Our law enforcement will be protected. Justice will be swift.”

Wallace was arrested and placed in Raynor’s handcuffs, the chief said.

The #FBI in Jacksonville, FL, is assisting the Daytona Beach PD with the search for Othal Toreyane Resheen Wallace, wanted for the attempted murder of a police officer in Daytona Beach, FL, on June 23, 2021, when he allegedly shot the officer in the face: https://t.co/SKruT1Ytjt pic.twitter.com/6RKlArVNk2

— FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) June 26, 2021

Wallace was in custody in DeKalb County, Georgia, and was expected to be returned to Daytona Beach.

Raynor remained hospitalized and was showing “positive signs of improvement,” Young said.

“He still has a ways to go,” Young said of the officer.

Also on Twitter, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp thanked law enforcement officers for the quick work apprehending the suspect.

“Our family and the people of Georgia are praying for Officer Raynor’s full recovery,” Kemp said.

The execution of the search warrant involved U.S. Marshals, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Georgia State Patrol and DeKalb County police, Young said.

Four other people were located on the property, Young said. He did not have information on what charges they might face.

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