TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — In honor of Daytona Beach Police officer, 26-year-old Jason Raynor, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on August 23, 2021.
Officer Raynor died on Aug. 17, 2021, 55 days after being shot in the head while on patrol.
Gov. DeSantis issued the following statement:
"On Tuesday, August 17, 2021, Officer Jason Raynor passed away from critical injuries obtained in the line of duty on June 23, 2021. He served the community as a law enforcement officer since 2016 in Port Orange and Daytona Beach. Officer Raynor was shot in the head while on patrol and passed away 55 days later with his family at his side. He was previously honored for his heroism in response to a call in 2018 where a woman was threatening to jump off a bridge and Raynor, alongside two other officers, helped talk her down. Officer Raynor will be remembered for his selfless courage to protect the lives of others at the cost of his own.
To honor the memory of Officer Jason Raynor and his service to our state, I hereby direct the flags of the United States and the State of Florida to be flown at half-staff at the City of Daytona Beach Police Department in Daytona Beach, Florida, the Volusia County Courthouse in Daytona Beach, Florida, and the City Hall of Daytona Beach, Florida, from sunrise to sunset on Monday, August 23, 2021."
Officer Raynor had been in a hospital since being shot by a man he was trying to question in the parking lot of an apartment building June 23. According to a charging affidavit, Raynor and other officers were in the area after complaints from citizens about crime there.
Othal Wallace was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer.
Prosecutors are expected to upgrade the charge following Raynor’s death.
