A suspect in the Dec. 23 shooting at Paddock Mall is in police custody.
Ocala police arrested Albert Shell Jr. early Monday morning after a standoff. According to Police Chief Mike Balken, Shell’s location was confirmed at a house 20 miles southwest of Ocala in the Florida Highlands around 1 a.m.
Law enforcement surrounded the house and negotiated with Shell for two hours before he surrendered without incident.
“His criminal history alone tells me that he should never have been on the street to have been able to commit this crime,” Balken said at a press conference Monday morning. “And we’re going to see to it that he serves the rest of his life behind bars.”
OPD was offering a $20,000 reward for information that led to Shell’s arrest. According to Balken, the department received over 100 tips, and the sum is expected to be paid out.
“ We are a resilient community, but we will not stand for acts of violence like this. And my commitment to you as our mayor is to make sure that we work with law enforcement to make sure that we are doing everything in our power to address these issues moving forward and that we are a safe and healthy community,” Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano said at a press conference.
Balken said the police confirmed one of the victims, David Barron, had a prior relationship with Shell. They have confirmed that the injured woman was a bystander who did not know either Shell or Barron. She is expected to make a full recovery.