Investigators say the daylight killing on Southeast Third Street appears to be a random act of violence.
OCALA, Fla. — A 64-year-old man was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon while tending his garden outside his home in a neighborhood near Southeast 3rd Street and 11th Avenue, and police said they arrested a 29-year-old man minutes later two blocks away.
Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken said the investigation began with a 3:34 p.m. 911 call about a suspicious person and quickly escalated into a homicide case. Officers converged on the historic district east of downtown after a second call reported gunfire. The victim was identified as Harold Whitt Harper. The suspect, identified by police as Isaac Ezekiel Toye, was detained nearby and later arrested. A middle school briefly went on precautionary lockdown as officers closed streets and searched the area. Detectives are reviewing video, canvassing homes and documenting the scene as they build a timeline of the shooting.
According to Balken, the first caller reported a man trying to wave down a driver, then seen manipulating a handgun as if chambering a round. Patrol units moved into the area within minutes. Shortly after, residents on Southeast 3rd Street reported a shooting outside a home. Responding officers found Harper mortally wounded near the front yard. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Officers spotted a man matching the earlier description walking south on Southeast 11th Avenue and detained him without incident. “Our officers were already nearby based on the initial call, which helped us get to the scene fast,” Balken said. He added there were no additional victims and no ongoing threat to neighbors once the suspect was in custody.
Police said Toye does not have a known criminal history in Ocala, though investigators are checking records elsewhere. Balken described limited prior contact with the suspect and said early indications suggest the attack was unprovoked. Detectives collected a handgun believed to be involved and submitted it for testing. The department also requested any home security or doorbell footage from homes on Southeast 3rd Street, Southeast 11th Avenue and nearby cross streets that might show the suspect’s movements before or after the shooting. Investigators interviewed witnesses who reported hearing a single burst of gunfire and seeing a man leave the block on foot. The exact motive remained unknown late Wednesday.
The neighborhood sits a few blocks east of downtown and includes older homes with small front yards. On Wednesday, yellow tape sealed off several intersections while crime scene technicians photographed shell casings, mapped the yard and collected items from the grass and sidewalk. Officers escorted a handful of residents back to their homes after checking IDs at the perimeter. Osceola Middle School briefly sheltered students and staff as a precaution before resuming normal operations. “We closed the surrounding streets because we had to make sure there was no ongoing danger,” Balken said. “We appreciate the public’s patience.”
By early evening, police said Toye had been taken to headquarters for questioning and later booked on homicide-related charges after consultation with prosecutors. Detectives are tracing the firearm’s origin and reviewing whether any earlier calls in the day involved the same individual. Officials planned to review body-camera recordings and dispatch logs to refine the timeline from the 3:34 p.m. suspicious-person report to the arrest. The department said it would release additional records, including arrest paperwork and a probable-cause narrative, once redactions were completed under Florida law.
Neighbors described Harper as a quiet homeowner who kept a tidy yard. A resident across the street said she heard “two sharp pops,” then saw officers arriving from both ends of the block. Another man who lives on Southeast 11th Avenue said he encountered police searching the sidewalks moments before the arrest. “They told us to stay inside while they checked the alley,” he said. Late in the day, a small group placed flowers along the front fence as investigators finished measurements and removed evidence markers from the grass.
As of Thursday morning, police said the investigation remains active and that more details will be released after initial interviews and evidence processing are complete. Detectives expected to provide a written update later today with any formal charges and the time of first appearance in Marion County. The crime scene along Southeast 3rd Street has reopened to traffic.
Author note: Last updated January 8, 2026.