DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – UPDATE: The reward has now been increased to $200,000. Click here to read more.
A $100,000 reward is being offered for anyone who can help authorities locate a man accused of shooting a Daytona Beach police officer Wednesday night, according to Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
The suspect at the center of the manhunt was identified before 11:30 p.m. as 29-year-old Othal Wallace, and he’s believed to be driving a gray 2016 Honda HR-V with the California license plate number 7TNX532, records show.
This is the shooter. Please keep the @DaytonaBchPD officer and family in your prayers. Again: $100K REWARD FOR INFO LEADING TO CAPTURE OF SUSPECT pic.twitter.com/NNgWcnyVRZ
— Mike Chitwood (@SheriffChitwood) June 24, 2021
Chitwood’s tweets identifying Wallace also included still photos from body camera footage that appeared to show Wallace behind the wheel of the Honda.
The Daytona Beach Police Department said Officer Jason Raynor was investigating a suspicious incident on Kingston Avenue shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday when he stopped replying to calls on his radio.
When additional units arrived, they found Raynor lying on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound, according to the department.
The officer was rushed to Halifax Health, where he underwent surgery and was in critical condition.
News 6 was initially not showing any pictures of Raynor at his family’s request but we have since received permission from his sister to use one photo.
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The Florida Highway Patrol said at about 10:45 p.m. that parts of Interstate 4 and Interstate 95 were being shut down in connection with the search for Wallace.
Dozens of patrol vehicles from multiple different Central Florida law enforcement agencies could also be seen near the shooting scene aiding in the search.
Wallace is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees him should call 911 immediately. Anyone with information is asked to call the department’s Emergency Operations Center at 386-671-5555.
This is a developing story, check back for more updates.