Albert J. Shell Jr. mug shot and a screenshot of the suspected shooter (Ocala Police Dept.) and the scene outside of the Paddock Mall following the shooting (WKMG screenshot)
Prosecutors in Florida will pursue capital punishment for a 39-year-old man who allegedly opened fire in a busy mall full of last-minute shoppers one day before Christmas Eve, fatally shooting a 40-year-old man and seriously wounding a woman.
The Office of the State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit on Friday formally filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Albert J. Shell Jr., who last week was indicted by a grand jury on one count of first-degree murder with a firearm in the December 2023 slaying of David Nathaniel Brown, authorities announced.
Shell is also facing two counts of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to a news release from the state attorney’s office, prosecutors chose the punishment for Shell due to “the severity of the crime and its impact on the community.”