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Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Visibly shaken Marion County Sheriff: Shootings must stop, deputies will defend themselves

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods made one thing crystal clear Thursday after one of his deputies was shot at while sitting watch over a home where a death investigation was taking place.

Malcolm Thomas

“I’m tired of it,” a visibly upset Woods said while standing outside the house, located at 7900 NW 39th Avenue Road. “There was absolutely no reason for my deputy to be shot at. He was sitting as security for this house. He was not fighting anybody. He was not engaging anybody. He was simply sitting on a house waiting on a search warrant.”
According to a sheriff’s office report, Patrol Corp. Alan Hewett was watching the house shortly before 11:30 a.m. when he heard gunshots. He confronted the suspect, identified as Malcolm J. Thomas, in the backyard of the home, where sheriff’s officials say the man opened fire.

A short time later, the 28-year-old Thomas, of Ocala, was apprehended by K-9 Dep. Branden Donahue and his dog, Tipster, the sheriff’s office report states. Thomas was charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. He is being held at the Marion County Jail on a $95,000 bond.
Woods was quick to point out that this incident marks the second time in a week one of his deputies has been targeted by gunfire. This past Sunday morning, Dep. Joseph Spratlin came under fire while attempting to disperse a crowd outside the Paradise Bar & Lounge in Citra.
Woods also cited the recent deaths of two Gilchrist County deputies who were gunned down while eating at a restaurant in nearby Trenton, as well as the school shooting last week at Forest High School in Ocala.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods’ press conference.

“I think law enforcement right now, not just in our region but across this nation, has a target on them every single day,” Woods said. “And there is no justification whatsoever for that target to be on us. It’s shameful what society has come to.”
Woods also encouraged all law-abiding citizens to get permits so they legally can carry concealed weapons. And he offered harsh words for those who oppose the right for citizens to own guns.
“You need to really think hard, because you oppose something great, the Second Amendment,” he said.
Woods said the recent shootings really hit home earlier today as he was eating lunch at a local restaurant.
“I had to sit in the corner with my back to the wall so I could watch,” he said. “But the thing that I took notice of, citizens came up to me and said, ‘It’s a shame, sheriff, that you have to sit in the corner and watch every person that walks in.’ Law enforcement is here to protect and serve. We are not here as anyone’s enemy.”
As for the Forest High School shooting and suspect Sky Bouche, Woods said the actions taken by the 19-year-old former student were intentional and planned out.
“I have seen the posts on Facebook,” he said. “It was not an accidental shooting. He had full intent of killing our children.”
Woods offered another stern message while vowing that his deputies will defend themselves and protect the residents of Marion County.
“For all of you that are listening and all of you on social media, don’t manipulate anything that I say today,” he said. “No, we’re not going to war, so don’t twist my words.”
Finally, Woods said that he gets up every morning praying that he won’t face a situation like his friend, Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Shultz, dealt with recently.
I don’t (want to) have to go to a mother, to a father, to a husband, or to a wife to say that they are dead,” he said. “I’m sick of seeing it.”