DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The man accused of shooting and killing a Daytona Beach police officer two years ago was in court Friday.
A judge heard several motions in the case of Othal Wallace, who is accused of fatally shooting Officer Jason Raynor in June 2021. His trial is supposed to start Sept. 5.
There were several motions filed ahead of the trial, many of them by Wallace’s defense team as his attorneys try to get some evidence excluded from the trial.
In one motion, attorneys are trying to exclude evidence that Raynor was looking for a stolen car the night he was shot.
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Witnesses from Daytona Beach police testified Friday that Raynor was looking for a stolen gray Honda CRV.
Police say Raynor went up to Wallace, who was in a grey Honda HRV, a different SUV model, to question him. Police say that was also the SUV Wallace fled in after the shooting.
The defense argued against including this information because it has not been proven that the stolen car was initially tied to Wallace. But the state says it’s relevant information due to it being why Raynor approached Wallace in the first place.
Another discussion was about a motion regarding Raynor’s reputation while out on patrol and at work.
The judge in the case is expected to provide a written ruling on both motions later.
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