Ocala mall shooting suspect arrested two weeks after deadly attack

A man has been arrested in connection to the fatal shooting in a Florida mall just before Christmas.

Albert J. Shell Jr, 39, is suspected to be the gunman in the attack at Paddock Mall.

“The Ocala Police Department, in collaboration with the United States Marshals Service (Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force), has apprehended Albert Shell Jr., the murder suspect involved in the deadly shooting at the Paddock Mall that occurred on Dec. 23, 2023,” the Ocala Police Department announced on X.

Mr Shell is accused of killing 40-year-old David Nathaniel Barron on the weekend before Christmas.

While it is unclear if and how the victim and the suspect knew one another, police believe the shooting was a “targeted act,” meaning Mr Barron was the intended target.

A woman was also left with non-life threatening injuries to her leg in the shooting and was taken to hospital for treatment, police said.

The gunman opened fire around 3.40pm at Paddock Mall after Christmas shoppers heard “multiple shots fired.”

By 4.20pm, authorities announced that the shooting was no longer active and that the suspect had fled the scene on foot and left the firearm behind.

This shooting was “the worst thing we can imagine this time of the year,” an officer said during the press conference, as people were getting ready for Christmas and buying last-minute presents.

Mr Shell was wanted on charges of premeditated first-degree murder and attempted premeditated first-degree murder, police said.

In a video posted by Ocala Police to X, Mr Shell can be seen being arrested and taken into custody.

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