OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The value of community solidarity in Ocala and Marion County recently shone through during the intense search for a dangerous shooter.
The Ocala Police Department (OPD) says Albert J. Shell Jr. opened fire at the Paddock Mall just two days before Christmas and his arrest on Monday put the minds of their traumatized community at ease.
We had the opportunity to speak with both Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken and newly inducted Mayor Ben Marciano Wednesday morning on 352today’s sister radio stations 93.7 K-Country and Wind-FM about the case and their plans to address community safety.
Both the chief and mayor expressed the same sentiment: Ocala should be a safe place to live, work, and play.
Balken says collaborative effort between OPD, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), and the United States Marshals Service – specifically the Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force – led to the successful apprehension of Shell earlier this week.
“Violent criminals themselves, drug dealers, things like that; we take it seriously. When we have somebody that commits such a heinous act in the middle of a shopping center two days before Christmas and then your thought is to hide this scumbag out from the police,” Balken said directing his remarks to those who may have been harboring Shell. “We’re coming for you. Rest assured we’re coming for you.”
Chief Balken told us that this case is not done. He anticipates there will be multiple arrests in connection to individuals who helped hide Shell.
Mayor Marciano told us he feels blessed to have Balken heading up Ocala’s men and women in blue. “You know, he really did an amazing job communicating to me, leading the charge,” he said.
“Obviously, I have a lot of experience in running businesses and seeing great leadership and we have a great leader, and he took control of this situation. He worked well with his team,” the mayor said. Marciano’s personal business is Zone Health & Fitness which has two locations in the city.
The men agree leadership makes all the difference. They say coordinated communication ensured a streamlined operation and response. OPD, backed by strong civic support, further emphasized the importance of unity and collaboration between law enforcement and city officials in maintaining public safety and wellbeing.
Police offered a reward to incentivize tips for information. Initially, the reward started at $5,000 two days after the shooting. A day later it was doubled to $10k. Three days later it grew to $15,000 and topped out at $20,000 on January 5. We asked Chief Balken if people actually hold out for more money before turning in a suspect, as some comments from OPD’s Facebook followers suggested.
“You know, it’s a great question. Let me let me start that answer by saying this. I find it entirely offensive that we have to pay a penny to anybody for information leading to the capture of a criminal, especially a violent criminal like Albert Shell,” Chief Balken expressed. “The fact of the matter is, you know, Albert Shell Jr. surrounded himself with other known criminals and, quite frankly, degenerates that had no reason to turn him in. And you know that reward money increased.”
The chief said they weigh and balance the return on taxpayer investment.
“We’re not going to throw $20,000 out there instantly,” he continued. “What we’re trying to do is offer a reward that generates leads. And if those leads start to slow down at all, we start considering raising that reward money to see if that generates even more leads. Again, it’s offensive that we have to pay a penny. You know, you folks out there should be doing the right thing and turning these people in. So, we’re careful with that. You know, a lot of that money is taxpayer dollars.”
We were curious as to what happens when multiple leads result in arrest. Balken told us, in general, a reward would be split by percentage on how important the agency deems that information. He was quick to point out that’s not necessarily how it worked in the Paddock Mall shooting case.
Listeners of the radio stations were curious about the red hat that had possibly fallen off the suspected shooter’s head and then went missing.
“I think the red hat will play a big role in this. Did it yet? No,” Chief Balken told Wind-FM‘s Hunter and Dupree. “I mean, that’s some DNA work that’s going to take some time to figure out what value that hat was, but it was nice to have recovered that hat.”
Chief Balken explained that he was adamant that the person who took that hat would be charged. The agency put out photos and video of the man they were looking for in connection with lifting the hat from the crime scene and also offered a reward for information leading to him.
On December 27, police said, “The man who took the red hat has been identified and is cooperating with us. We now have the hat in our possession.” They decided not to charge him. Balken said that if they had been able to prove that the man who picked up the red hat was tied to the actual shooter, there would have been at least one charge.
“That guy who took that hat would ultimately make a better witness than a suspect,” Balken said.
As for the family of the victim, 40-year-old David Barron, Balken said that there are victim advocates to get them through a very difficult and long process. He intimated it could be at least a year before Shell goes to trial.
Balken says his role extends beyond the badge. He says he’s hosted parents of victims to his home for dinner with his family. “We tend to build relationships, after trials and in things like that, so they’re important to us.”
Chief Balken’s frustration was evident when he spoke about the way that Florida’s criminal justice system works.
He’s a member of the Florida Police Chief’s Association. “Sitting on that legislative committee that really focuses on changing statutes to make Florida – not just Ocala – but Florida a safer place to live, work and play is important to me,” he told us. “I know Sheriff [Billy] Woods sits on the legislative committee for the Florida Sheriff’s Association, as well, and we push.”
The biggest issue, said Chief Balken, is repeat offenders who cycle in and out of jails, yet rarely see the walls of a prison cell. The current structure allows individuals with extensive felonies who ideally should have been in prison, to walk the streets.
Shell has an extensive rap sheet. He’s been booked into the Marion County jail 19 times over the past two decades with charges ranging from burglary and robbery to drug possession and grand theft.
|WATCH: A look at Albert Shell Jr.’s time in and out of the Marion County jail
Chief Balken said that the average citizen would be alarmed if they knew how many convictions it takes to finally incarcerate someone in state prison. He urges citizens to call their state representatives and senators to demand change. He admitted he’s tired of local law enforcement chasing the same people over and over again with no lasting results.
“Public safety is expensive. It takes a lot of money to run a prison, but what I’m telling people is you can spend it at the state level and lock these people up, or you’re just going to give it to me in a $43 million a year budget to police 68,000 people when I should be able to police the city for half of that if I didn’t have to chase the same people over,” Balken said. “We need to get that message out. So, you know, that’s going to be my big push. I’m hoping the mayor can help me with that. I do want to educate the public.”
For Marciano, he says he’s committed to supporting the police department as well as shining a light on the physical and mental health of the community.
“We’re going to start creating an action plan to really address some of these mental illness issues that we’re experiencing,” Marciano chimed in. “Even when I talk to Chief [Balken], a lot of what we’re dealing with is mental illness, addiction issues, homeless issues on the street corners. So, I think if we can get to the core of it, we can start to see some of the issues that we’re dealing within our community change.”
The mayor told us he’s established a committee, and the grou will have its first meeting at the end of January. He says they’ll start rolling out a plan a little later that they’ll present to the public to be transparent about what they are going to be working on.
Marciano was just sworn-in as mayor on December 5, 2023. He says in his short time as the city’s leader, it’s not just OPD and Chief Balken who have been supportive of him.
“You know, I’ve worked with the city staff, and we just have some great people in our community,” he told us. “My family was here from New York when I was sworn in and they noticed it, too. The people here are special. That’s why I think we can do something great in Ocala. Almost be an example of how we bring people together. And people have a heart to serve each other, I think we’re going to do some great things here.”