A young brotha in Florida is once again being wrongfully tried for an alleged crime against a marauder.
Othal Wallace, is accused of firing his weapon at a sheriff deputy after being harassed by the deputy in front of his own home. Wallace is now facing first-degree murder charges for the gun-related death of Jason Raynor.
Video of the incident surfaced just a week after Raynor was allegedly shot by Wallace. In the video, Wallace ask Raynor why he was attempting to detain him. Raynor never could provide a clear answer besides vaguely insinuating that there was some type of police investigation going on.
Supporters of Wallace argue that Raynor grabbed Wallace first and reached for his own firearm, while Wallace may have reached for his firearm out of retaliation or may have attempted to flee, while only shooting his firearm in a last second ditch to save his life from what he assumed to be a actor looking to mortally wound him.
Supporters also criticized the Daytona Police department’s lack of transparency during the course of this lengthy investigation, often mentioning that Raynor’s reasoning for even stopping Wallace in the first place is murky at best, and the press is being denied an official police report.
Florida’s Seventh Judicial Circuit state attorney R.J. Larizza who’s own office has been mired in allegations of corruption and misconduct for the better part of a decade, including numerous violations of defendants 6th amendment rights and allegations of racial discrimination is responsible for charging Wallace with first-degree murder. In Florida, the charge carries the possibility of a death sentence.
Wallace will be represented by Terry J. Shoemaker who also previously ran for the 20th district of Florida’s House of Representatives. Wallace’s family members insist that he is innocent and that the state is trying to bury his possible defense in a mountain of legal fees.
The Wallace family will continue to fundraise in hopes of seeing that justice for their son is served.
–Barrington Williams, B1Daily
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