DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A search continued Thursday morning for the suspect who shot a Florida police officer in the head Wednesday, leaving him in critical condition.
Police are offering a $100,000 reward for anyone who can help authorities locate the suspect, identified as Othal Wallace, 29.
The injured Daytona Beach officer, who has not been identified, is out of surgery, according to a Thursday statement from the Daytona Beach Police Department.
Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said during a press conference the officer was conducting a “proactive patrol” just before 9 p.m. Wednesday. The officer had earlier radioed he was investigating a suspicious incident, according to a tweet from the police department.
“Upon arrival he contacted a coward… and as he was escorting him out of the car, at some point the suspect turns and shoots my officer one time in the head,” Young said.
Video of the shooting released by the Daytona Beach Police Department shows an officer approach a vehicle, asking if the man inside lives in the area.
The man got up and asked, “What’s going on?” as the officer instructed him to sit back down. The man asks the officer to back up before the footage becomes shaky and a gunshot is heard.
Several minutes passed and the officer stopped responding to other officers calling him on the radio. When officers arrived they found him lying on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound, according to a police statement. The officer was taken to a local hospital.
Young tweeted early Thursday morning the officer is “fighting while all of us are praying.”
The suspected gunman fled the scene after the shooting and asked the public to be on the lookout for a gray 2016 Honda HRV with a California tag, police said in a tweet.
“He should be considered armed & dangerous,” according to the police department’s tweet.
More than 500 officers from various agencies responded to help find Wallace, Young said.
“I’m grateful for every agency that has responded over here tonight to help us because they are committed to staying out here until we have this coward in custody,” Young said.
Contributing: Christine Fernando, USA TODAY.
