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Suspect captured days after shooting Daytona Beach officer in the head, police say

Othal Wallace was found hiding in a treehouse located in a property affiliated with a Black militia group, the city's police chief said.
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A man accused of shooting a Daytona Beach police officer in the head was taken into custody early Saturday morning following an intense search.

Othal Wallace was taken into custody in Atlanta after being suspected of shooting a police officer in Daytona Beach, Fla., on June 23, 2021.
Othal Wallace was taken into custody in Atlanta after being suspected of shooting a police officer in Daytona Beach, Fla., on June 23, 2021.Chief Jakari Young

Othal Wallace, 29, was arrested around 2:30 a.m. near Atlanta. He was found hiding in a treehouse located in a property affiliated with a Black militia group known as NFAC, which stands for the "Not F------ Around Coalition," Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said in a press conference Saturday.

The FBI, U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security and Georgia State Patrol also assisted in the arrest.

Officer Jason Raynor, 26, who was shot in the head, is showing "positive signs of improvement" after he was taken to a Halifax Health Medical Center critically wounded Wednesday night, according to Young.

The incident started just before 9 p.m. ET after Raynor, a three-year member of the Daytona Beach police department, went to investigate a "suspicious incident" at 133 Kingston Ave., police said.

Daytona beach police posted body camera footage of the officer coming up to a parked sports utility vehicle before asking Wallace, who was in the driver's seat, if he lived there.

As Wallace stepped out of the car, Raynor asked him to sit down, footage appears to show.

"Why you asking, 'Do I live here?' What's going on though?" Wallace asked.

A scuffle ensued before the camera went dark, according to the 29-second clip posted by Daytona Beach police. According to Young, Wallace drove off after shooting Raynor.

Wallace has been charged with attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer with a firearm, according to the FBI.