Daytona Beach police chief: Rep. Waltz had ‘no right’ to give update on officer shot in head

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Daytona Beach police chief said a Florida politician had “no right” giving an update on Twitter about an officer who was shot in the head last month.

“If I or Daytona Beach Police Department intended to give an update on Officer Raynor’s status we would have done so ourselves,” Young tweeted. “Michael Waltz had no right to tweet this! I apologize to the Raynor family for this egregious violation of their trust. This is nothing more than politics at best.”

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Waltz tweeted that Officer Jason Raynor was “speaking and opening his eyes.”

He said he spoke to Young about Raynor’s condition and called it “nothing short of a miracle.”

Waltz tweeted that Raynor’s mother felt comfortable leaving the hospital for the first time in weeks.

Shortly after Young tweeted, Waltz sent out an apology to the Raynor family and the Daytona Beach Police Department.

“I was excited at the prospect of good news for Officer Raynor and did not intend to share info that wasn’t meant to be released,” Waltz tweeted. “Continuing to pray for a speedy recovery.”

Raynor was shot in the head on June 23 while on patrol.

PHOTOS: Daytona Beach officer Jason Raynor shot in the line of duty

Before serving with Daytona Beach police, Raynor was a member of the Port Orange Police Department from October 2016 to February 2019.

In a Facebook post, the Port Orange Police Department described Raynor as an “exemplary officer at our agency where he still maintains friendships with many of our current officers and staff.”

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Crime scene on Kingston Avenue Daytona Beach officers respond to Kingston Avenue at around 9 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, where they find one of their own suffering from a gunshot wound.

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Raynor joined the Daytona Beach Police Department in February 2019.

Young described Raynor as an officer with a “heart of gold.”

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