Man accused of shooting Florida officer captured in DeKalb treehouse

On Friday, authorities announced the reward for information leading to Wallace’s capture had increased to $200,000. He was taken into custody at a DeKalb property that officials said is linked to the Black militia NFAC, which stands for the Not (expletive) Around Coalition. The group led an armed rally at Stone Mountain Park last year on the Fourth of July for what an organizer said was a demonstration of their Second Amendment rights.

The 29-year-old was surrounded by weapons at the time of his arrest, with access to rifles, flash-bangs, two handguns, body armor and a cache of ammunition, according to police.

Credit: Daytona Beach Police Department

Credit: Daytona Beach Police Department

The search warrant at the heavily wooded, 3-acre property along Smith James Road just south of the Gwinnett County line was executed by the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Georgia State Patrol and DeKalb County police, authorities said.

The Marshals Service described the property as a “survivalist-type training compound” with a main house, a trailer and several tents set up in the woods.

“A large arsenal of weapons was also located in the main residence,” Young said, adding that four Daytona Beach police officers assisted in the search and used Raynor’s handcuffs to arrest Wallace in the treehouse.

Authorities said Wallace cut his hair in an attempt to disguise himself and avoid capture.

“He actually did make a statement,” Young told reporters at the news conference. “What he said was, ‘You guys know who I am, you know what I’m capable of and it could have been a lot worse.’”

The police department was flooded with tips in the days since the officer’s shooting, but Young said ultimately it was a combination of surveillance and technology that led to the suspect’s arrest.

Young said Raynor is showing “positive signs of improvement” following last week’s shooting and thanked the community for supporting the injured officer. As of Saturday afternoon, an online fundraiser had raised more than $212,000 for his family.

“He still has a ways to go,” the chief said. “They feel comfortable moving forward with more testing because they determined that he’s now strong enough to endure more testing. As of now, his outlook is improving.”

Daytona Beach Police have released 30 seconds of body camera footage showing the moments leading up to the shooting. The video appears to show Raynor approach Wallace as he sat inside his Honda SUV in a residential parking lot.

“How’s it going? Do you live here?” Raynor is heard asking as he shines his flashlight into the car.

Wallace appears to get out of the vehicle and ask, “What’s going on?” as Raynor tells him to get back in the driver’s seat.

“Can you sit down? I’ll talk to you,” the officer tells him, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Come on now, don’t do this,” Wallace replies. “Why are you asking do I live here?”

The officer appears to radio for backup as a struggle ensues in the parking lot.

(WARNING: This video may not be suitable for all readers.)

Young, the Daytona Beach police chief, said law enforcement worked around the clock to locate Wallace since the shooting nearly 60 hours earlier.

“Many of these folks haven’t slept — at best, maybe two hours — since this whole nightmare unfolded, ” Young said. “Some of them haven’t slept at all.”

Wallace remains at the DeKalb County Jail as he awaits extradition back to Florida. Authorities said he faces one count of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.

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