On December 23, 2023, 40-year-old tattoo artist David Nathaniel Barron was shot to death in a common area of the Paddock Mall in Ocala, Florida, at about 3:40 p.m., during a busy pre-Christmas shopping period. A woman also suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to her leg. The scene was initially described as an active shooter situation, prompting shoppers and employees to flee.

Barron was a father of five children, including three sons aged 5, 9, and 12 he shared with his fiancée, Marcia Harrison, and was remembered by friends as compassionate and helpful. The shooting was believed to be a targeted attack. An arrest warrant for Albert J. Shell Jr., 39, charging him with premeditated first-degree murder and attempted premeditated first-degree murder was issued on December 24, 2023. Barron’s family held a celebration of his life on January 6, 2024, and his fiancée organized a GoFundMe for the children.

If anyone was at the Paddock Mall that afternoon or has information about the events leading up to the shooting, please come forward.