OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) – TV20 obtained the arrest report after officers took a suspected shooter into custody, accused of killing a man in an apparent random act of violence.
According to the report, a neighbor called 911 to report a suspicious person, later identified as Isaac Toye, 29, walking on Southeast Third Street, in Ocala’s historic district. The caller reported seeing Toye chamber a bullet in a gun.
Moments later, neighbors called 911 to report that Harold Harper, 64, had been shot in his front yard. When officers arrived, they found Harper dead with a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.
Officers found Toye a short distance away on Southeast Fifth Street. He had a loaded 9mm pistol in his hoodie.
One of the neighbors told investigators that she was inside her home when she heard the gunshot. She stepped outside and could see Harper’s wife outside saying, “My husband’s dead.”
Family members told officers that Harper was in the front yard gardening at the time of the shooting. He’s recently had major surgery and used gardening as a form of therapy. He didn’t have any tools other than a bucket for collecting weeds.
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Officers do not believe Toye and Harper knew each other and aren’t aware of any connection between the men.
Neighbors tell TV20 Harper’s murder is devastating to the neighborhood.
“He is a wonderful neighbor. His passion was gardening, and that’s what he’s left to do. He kept his yard well-groomed all the time, and he left the outdoors. Just very, very nice man always says hello to anybody,” said Joan Zoeller, a neighbor.
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