Florida officer shot in the head; manhunt underway

A Florida police officer was critically wounded Wednesday night after scuffling with a motorist who sped from the scene, officials said.

The Daytona Beach Police Department is offering a $100,000 reward "for anyone who can help authorities locate the man who shot one of our officers in the head," according to a statement from the agency.

The incident unfolded just before 9 p.m. ET after the officer went to investigate a "suspicious vehicle" in a back parking lot at 133 Kingston Ave., police said.

The department posted body camera footage of the officer coming up to a parked sports utility vehicle before asking a man in the driver's seat if he lived there.

As the motorist stepped out of the car, the officer asked him to sit down, footage appeared to show.

"Why you asking, 'Do I live here?' What's going on though?" the man asked.

A scuffle ensued before the camera went dark, according to the 29-second clip posted by the department. Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said the motorist drove off after shooting the officer, who was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center.

The officer is 26 and a three-year veteran of the department, Young told reporters.

“This is a young kid and I highlight that because most officers (when wounded) you would see their wives or their kids respond to the hospital, it’s his mom in there," he said. "So that tells you where he is in his life."

The shooting led to a search of a nearby apartment where three bulletproof vests, multiple high-capacity magazines, a rifle, a semiautomatic handgun and boxes of rifle rounds were found, Young added.

The suspect was identified as 29-year-old Othal Wallace, who may be in a gray 2016 Honda HR-V with a California tag of 7TNX532.

Nearby highway on-ramps were blocked for about three hours early Thursday as police searched for Wallace, who was still wanted when daylight broke.

The man was still at large by midday, and a police spokesman said multiple law enforcement agencies, including some outside of Florida, know to look out for the Honda. The Florida-Georgia line is a little more than 125 miles north of the shooting scene on Interstate 95.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.