The Ocala Police Department has shed some light on its investigation into a 29-year-old military veteran accused of murdering a local resident near the Ocala Historic District last week.
On Wednesday, January 7, Isaac Ezekiel Toye was taken into custody and charged with homicide and two counts of aggravated assault in connection with the death of 64-year-old Harold Whitt Harper.
That afternoon, at around 3:35 p.m., 911 dispatchers received a call about a suspicious person in the 900 block of SE 3rd Street. A resident who was pulling out of his driveway reported that another man dressed in all black, later identified as Toye, was seen walking toward his house and motioned for him to stop.
When the caller continued driving, he observed Toye appear to “rack the slide” of what looked like a pistol.
Shortly after officers were dispatched, a second 911 call reported a shooting roughly one block east of the first location. Responding officers discovered the victim, Harper, lying in the front yard of his residence. He was suffering from gunshot wounds and succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
An officer spotted Toye walking approximately two blocks south of the crime scene on SE 11th Avenue. Toye matched the description given in the initial 911 call and was detained. Police confirmed he was in possession of a pistol at the time of his arrest.
Toye was arrested and booked into Marion County Jail, where he remains in custody without bond.
OPD stated that the shooting death of Harper is a “horrific event [that] appears to be a random act of violence.” Harper was gardening in front of his home when he was fatally shot.
In an update on Thursday, January 15, Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken provided additional details on the homicide investigation.
Balken confirmed that the suspect in this case, Toye, is a military veteran who had been discharged from the Army after serving less than 18 months of an eight-year enlistment.
OPD records show that the agency only had one prior interaction with Toye in 2022, and it was “unrelated to this incident.” According to police, Toye resided in the Brandon area, east of Tampa, until he left his apartment less than six weeks ago.
Balken said that Toye moved to Marion County and may have been staying at a homeless camp located near State Road 200 and County Road 484, which is not far from where some of his family members reside in Marion Oaks.
Two days prior to the shooting, Toye allegedly purchased a firearm from a local store. However, since the store required a three-day holding period, Toye was unable to take possession of the gun prior to the deadly shooting, according to Balken.
“We are still investigating how (Toye) acquired the firearm used in this crime,” said the police chief.
Investigators further believe that one day before the shooting, Toye was in Ocala to receive social services from a local church, which was located a few blocks away from the victim’s home.
On the day of the shooting, police believe that Toye traveled from his mother’s home in Marion Oaks into Ocala. He was allegedly captured on video surveillance footage walking in the downtown Ocala area just minutes before the victim was shot and killed.
“We have not been able to determine how that transportation to and from Marion Oaks was facilitated, and that’s simply because the people that have that information are being completely uncooperative with our investigation,” said Balken.
At this time, investigators believe that the victim’s shooting death was “a random and senseless act of violence.” Balken further advised that there is no indication that Toye knew the victim or had any reason to harm him.
“There is still a great deal of investigative work ahead,” said Balken.
No further details have been released by the Ocala Police Department in order to ensure the integrity of this case, according to OPD.
If anyone has information regarding this case that could help the ongoing investigation, OPD asks that you contact detectives at 352-369-7000.