OCALA, Fla. – Nearly two weeks after the Paddock Mall shooting, the Ocala Police Department and Florida Critical Response Team will host a community meeting at police headquarters to provide help and resources to those impacted by the shooting.
Ocala Police Victim Advocate Supervisor Donna Guinn said they want to make sure everyone affected is not forgotten.
“We really want the community to know that we care,” Guinn said. “We want to make sure that everyone that was affected has support. And so when something like this happens, obviously there’s just a shock value to it for everybody.”
Guinn said in addition to reaching out to people who may have been impacted by the Paddock Mall shooting, they’ve also received phone calls from different people outlining their experiences after the shooting.
“We’ve had people that have reached out to us and say, listen, my child is having trouble sleeping, I’m having trouble focusing,” Guinn said. “‘My child maybe is reluctant to go back to school or, their sleep is really interrupting,’ whether it’s school or work life or relationships. The impact is huge, we want to make sure that they understand that we can help them with those issues with our support.”
The community meeting comes as police try and track down their suspect, Albert Shell Jr.
Police said Shell shot David Nathaniel Barron and they believe the shooting was a targeted attack.
Since then police have increased the reward for information that leads to Shell’s arrest from $5,000 to $10,000 — to $15,000. Police are still looking for Shell.
While police are focusing on the search for Shell, they’re also focusing on the wellbeing of their community.
Guinn said people can come to the meeting and do what feels comfortable.
“They can expect they can feel welcome,” Guinn said. “We hope that they will feel very welcome, that it will be very inviting and that there is no pressure to do or say anything.”
The meeting will take place Thursday, Jan. 4, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the community room of Ocala Police headquarters located at 402 S. Pine Avenue in Ocala.
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