Authorities increase reward to $20,000 for information leading to arrest of suspected Ocala mall shooter
By Sarah Dewberry, CNN
(CNN) — Law enforcement officials in Florida have increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspected gunman in the deadly Ocala mall shooting that left one person dead two days before Christmas.
The Ocala Police Department is “still actively searching” for Albert Shell Jr. and is offering $20,000 for information that can help authorities apprehend him, the department announced Saturday on Facebook.
Shell, 39, is accused of fatally shooting 40-year-old David Nathaniel Barron, who was found dead in a common area inside the Paddock Mall in north-central Florida on one of the year’s busiest shopping days, according to police.
The incident also left a woman wounded after being shot in the leg, authorities said.
Ocala police are offering $15,000 and the Florida Sheriff’s Association put forth an additional $5,000 toward the reward amount.
Law enforcement officials have said they believe the shooting was a targeted act of violence. Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Shell Jr. on December 24 for premeditated first-degree murder and attempted premeditated first-degree murder, CNN previously reported.
There were “a lot of people inside the mall” when the shooting occurred, according to Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken, “which means there’s a lot of witnesses that could potentially help us bring this case to a successful resolution,” he said.
CNN’s Dakin Andone and Ashley R. Williams contributed to this report.
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