A Florida prosecutor announced Friday he was seeking the death penalty for a man accused of shooting a man to death at a crowded mall on the weekend before Christmas.
Albert J. Shell, 39, had a long and violent criminal history in Florida but was out of jail on December 23 when he murdered David Nathaniel Barron, 40, and wounded a woman at the Paddock Mall in Ocala, as CrimeOnline reported.
Shell was indicted last week on charges of first degree murder, attempted second degree murder, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office.
“The decision [to seek the death penalty] is reflective of the gravity of the alleged offenses and the impact on the victims and their families,” State Attorney Bill Gladson said in a statement. “The State Attorney’s Office acknowledges the sensitivity of this matter and the impact it has on the community.”
Although police have not revealed a motive for the shooting, they have said it was targeted. Surveillance footage showed Shell approach Barron in the mall’s food court, Law&Crime reported, and Barron was seen to punch Shell and run away. Shell chases after Barron, who falls to the floor not far away, and Shell pulls out a handgun and shoots him.
The gun appears to malfunction, giving Barron time to run again. Shell again chases him, police said, and Shell “shoots him again and engages in a physical confrontation with Barron on the ground in front of Starbucks.” During that confrontation, Shell shoots Barron in the head.
Shell was not captured until January 8.
As CrimeOnline reported, Shell’s most recent — of many — arrests was last July when he was accused of slamming his girlfriend’s head onto the bathroom tile and choking her because he thought she was cheating him. Her 6-year-old son, who witnessed the attack on his mother, later told police that Shell “punched and kicked and punched mommy” and “mommy needed to say sorry to make it better.”
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[Featured image: Albert Shell Jr/Ocala Police Department]
