Daytona Beach Officer Shot in Head in Shocking Bodycam Footage

Shocking bodycam footage capturing the moment a Florida police officer was shot in the head has been released amid a manhunt for the suspect.

The shooting occurred at around 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday at the 100 block of Kingston Avenue in Daytona Beach, Florida, and has left the officer fighting for his life in hospital.

The Daytona Beach Police Department has since released the officer's bodycam footage of the incident. This shows him approach the suspect sitting in his car, a gray 2016 Honda HRV, and ask if they lived in the area.

The suspect, named as 29-year-old Othal Wallace by police, was filmed getting out of his vehicle and asking "what's going on?" as the officer urged him to sit back down inside his car so that they could talk.

The suspect then said, "Come on now, come on now. Don't do this," as the officer put his hands on him and attempted to get him to sit.

A struggle ensued where the suspect appeared to push the officer away.

The footage captured the altercation between the pair, before the sound of a single gunshot can be heard—at which point the officer fell to the ground.

Authorities have released a mugshot of Wallace and images of his car showing his license plate bearing CA tag 7TNX532, as it urged residents to provide any information that could lead to his capture.

A $100,000 reward was issued for information leading to the capture of Wallace on Wednesday evening, as Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood described him as "armed & dangerous" and asked people to "please keep the @DaytonaBchPD officer and family in your prayers."

During a press conference on Wednesday night, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said that the officer was rushed to the Halifax Health Medical Center to undergo surgery and confirmed that Volusia County remained under lockdown.

"This entire county is on lockdown until we track this coward down. So I'm grateful for every agency that's responded over here tonight to help us as they're committed to staying out here until we get this coward in custody," Young said.

The police chief tweeted an update on the officer's condition in the early hours of Thursday morning, as he confirmed that multiple agencies are still attempting to apprehend the suspect.

"No change in the status of my hero who was shot in the line of duty last night," Young tweeted. "He's fighting while all of us are praying Folded hands The manhunt continues for the coward responsible for this."

In a statement to Newsweek on Thursday morning, Chitwood said that the manhunt is continuing in an attempt to find Wallace and confirmed the officer remains in hospital in a "grave condition."

Newsweek has contacted the Daytona Beach Police Department for comment.