OCALA, FL – A Wednesday afternoon shooting in a quiet Ocala neighborhood left one man dead and prompted a swift police response that ended with a suspect taken into custody just blocks away.
According to the Ocala Police Department, officers were first alerted around 3:34 p.m. on January 7 after a 911 caller reported a suspicious man in the 900 block of SE 3rd Street. The caller said a man dressed entirely in black approached him as he was leaving his driveway and motioned for him to stop. The caller continued driving and reported seeing the man appear to rack the slide of what he believed was a handgun.
Officers were dispatched immediately. Moments later, a second 911 call came in reporting a shooting about a block east of the original location. As officers responded, one officer spotted a man matching the earlier description walking on SE 11th Avenue, roughly two blocks south of the reported shooting. The man, identified as 29-year-old Isaac Ezekiel Toye, was detained and found to be in possession of a pistol.
Other officers located the shooting victim, 64-year-old Harold Whitt Harper, in the front yard of his home. Harper had suffered a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators say witness statements and physical evidence place Toye at both locations. Based on the preliminary investigation, police have established probable cause to charge Toye with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of homicide.
Police believe the shooting was a random act of violence and say there is no indication the victim was targeted or that additional suspects are involved. Authorities also stated there is no ongoing threat to the community.
“Our hearts go out to the Harper family during this incredibly difficult time,” police said in a statement, thanking neighbors who came forward with information that helped investigators quickly identify and arrest the suspect.
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