Who is Othal Wallace? Reward of $100K for suspect accused of shooting Daytona Beach cop
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA: A manhunt is underway in Volusia County after a Daytona Beach police officer was shot in the head. The incident reportedly occurred on Wednesday night, June 23.
As per local news reports, the shooting happened around 8.50 pm near the 100 block of Kingston Avenue in Daytona Beach, south of Mason Avenue and west of North Beach Street. Reportedly, the 26-year-old officer, whose name has not been released, was on Kingston Avenue investigating a suspicious incident. However, the officer soon stopped responding to calls on his radio. When other officers responded to the location, he was found lying on the ground with a gunshot wound. The unnamed officer, who has been with the Daytona Beach Police Department for about three years, was reportedly rushed to Halifax Health. He was in critical condition following surgery.
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MEAWW has earlier covered similar stories involving law enforcement officials getting injured or killed. An off-duty New York Police Department (NYPD) officer was wounded on May 31 after a gunman attacked, spraying 30 bullets at her home. One bullet grazed the officer's head. A shooter in Arvada, Colorado, opened fire and gunned down a cop on Monday afternoon, June 21. The officer, and two others, died in the altercation.
Who is Othal Wallace?
The Daytona Beach Police Department released a photo along with the name of the suspect involved in the incident. On Facebook, updating an earlier post about the wounded officer, the Daytona Beach PD wrote, “We've attached a photo of the suspect. His name is Othal Wallace. He's 29 years old. He may be in a gray 2016 Honda HRV with a California tag of 7TNX532.”
Wallace is considered armed and dangerous. As per a report in WINK, the body camera footage from moments before the shooting shows Wallace in the video captured. As per Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young, when the wounded officer approached Wallace in the car, the latter got out despite repeated instructions to sit down.
“How’s it going? Do you live here,” the cop asked the suspect who immediately got out of his car and stood up. As the officer in the body cam footage can be heard asking him to sit, Wallace can be heard saying, “Come on now, don’t do this.” Wallace also asked, “What’s going on though? Why are you asking me if I live here?” and asked the officer to “back off”.
The two then reportedly struggled before a shot was heard and the officer fell to the ground. Five hundred officers and deputies in Volusia County are looking for Wallace and his 2016 Honda HRV. A $100,000 reward has been put up for information leading to Wallace’s arrest. Reportedly, Volusia County was temporarily on lockdown. Now, the US Marshals have also joined the manhunt for Wallace.
Young said, “This entire county is on lockdown until we track this coward down. So I’m grateful for every agency that’s responded over here tonight to help us as they’re committed to staying out here until we get this coward in custody.”
Anybody with any information regarding the shooting or Wallace’s whereabouts is urged to call 911 and not approach him.