DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The man who is accused of shooting a Florida police officer in the head has been captured in DeKalb County, Georgia.
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.
Police say the shooting happened just before 9 p.m. Thursday when the officer, later identified as 26-year-old Jason Raynor, responded to a "suspicious incident."
Raynor was transported to a local hospital where the department says he underwent surgery.
"This officer is 26 years old. 26 years old. Behind me (in the hospital). Fighting for his life. Most of us are just starting to live at 26 years old," Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said Thursday. "This particular cop, knowing him, if he were to pull through this, this cop would do everything in his power to get back on the job and continue serving the community. He would do so with zero hatred or malice in his heart."
On Friday, there was a $200,000 reward for Wallace's capture. Law enforcement searched for 56 hours with little sleep to track down Wallace, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said.
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.
Wallace is charged with the attempted murder of a police officer.
Officer Raynor is still hospitalized but is showing signs of improvement, according to Young.
Since the shooting, the Daytona Beach Police Department has been flooded with donations of gifts to both Raynor and the department itself. In addition to donations by people, several businesses including Buc-ees, WaWa, 4 Rivers Barbecue and Chik-Fil-A have all made donations to the department.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Officer Raynor and his family. Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said Thursday that Ryanor's mother and sister have been by his side around the clock.