What is the NFAC? A look at Black militia group police say is connected to suspected shooter of Daytona officer

Group started gaining attention after 2020 armed march at Stone Mountain in Georgia

Following the arrest of Othal Wallace, the man accused of shooting Daytona Beach police officer Jason Raynor, investigators said he was found on a property outside of Atlanta affiliated with the NFAC, according to Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young.

The NFAC, also known as the Not (expletive) Around Coalition, is an all-Black paramilitary group based out of Atlanta with members around the nation. Following the announcement of Wallace’s arrest, the NFAC released a statement saying the group was “just as shocked and surprised as the public to hear this news.”

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“NFAC owns no property. Our inquiry into this has revealed that this property is owned by another ex-NFAC member who allowed the local NFAC chapter to train there months ago. We have zero knowledge of the current use by the owner. They are not NFAC members, nor is this property affiliated with this organization,” a spokesperson said, adding Wallace is a current member of the NBPP.

News 6 confirmed Wallace was a member of NFAC, although the group’s leadership said they terminated his membership in January 2021.

Othal Wallace mugshot DeKalb County (2021 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said his investigators were aware of Wallace’s connection.

“I don’t get it — why some people say the right is better than the left. Man! Violent extremism is violent extremism. We in the middle of the country got to stamp it out,” he said.

Debbie James, a spokeswoman for NFAC Global, told News 6 she challenges claims made by some that the group is losing steam.

“The NFAC is a strong law-abiding organization that does not espouse anti-Semitic, left or right-wing views,” James said.

The NFAC first formed in 2017 by John Fitzgerald Johnson, also known as Grandmaster Jay, according the Atlantic. However, the group did not start getting widespread attention until it held an armed march at Stone Mountain in Georgia, the site of the largest Confederate monument in the country, in July 2020. According to interviews with Johnson, its core principles include arming its members, protesting racial inequities and police brutality and also demanding police transparency.

The all-Black group intends to protect, self-police and educate Black communities on firearms and their constitutional rights, Johnson said to CNN in an October 2020 interview.

“We are not against anyone,” Johnson said to CNN. “Nobody says anything when other demographics pick up weapons, decide to arm themselves and confront the government over anything from wearing a mask to being cooped up in the house, but when certain demographics arm themselves all of a sudden people tend to act as if the Constitution doesn’t matter.”

Johnson told CNN he would not disclose the membership numbers of the NFAC but did say that it grew following the group’s decision to drop its membership age limit from 21 to 18 years old.

In addition to the Stone Mountain March, NFAC has shown up in Brunswick, Georgia, following the death of Ahmaud Arbery and Louisville, Kentucky, following the death of Breonna Taylor.

During one of the group’s marches in Louisville, Johnson is accused of pointing a rifle at police and federal agents who were on top of the Jefferson County Grand Jury Building during the rally — according to the CBS affiliate in Louisville, WLKY.

According to his federal criminal complaint, an anonymous tipster told FBI investigators in May 2020 that the NFAC was planning to attack law enforcement in Minneapolis after George Floyd was killed by Derek Chauvin. In December 2020, the FBI arrested Johnson for assaulting officers in Louisville by pointing a gun at them during that protest in September.

Investigators found videos of Johnson calling for the incitement of violence against Minneapolis police.

“...The only way to stop police violence is to identify and locate the homes of police, burn the houses to the ground, kill the officer, their family members, and associates,” according to the federal criminal complaint.

A Louisville grand jury will decide whether to indict him on local charges In Jefferson County, Johnson is facing five counts of wanton endangerment, one for each person on the roof at the time. If he is indicted, he could stand trial, according to a WLKY report.


About the Author:

Thomas Mates is a digital storyteller for News 6 and ClickOrlando.com. He also produces the podcast Florida Foodie. Thomas is originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania and worked in Portland, Oregon before moving to Central Florida in August 2018. He graduated from Temple University with a degree in Journalism in 2010.

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