William Bryan Cruse Jr. and the 1987 Palm Bay Massacre
Background
William Bryan Cruse Jr. was a 59-year-old retired librarian who carried out a prolonged mass shooting in Palm Bay, Florida, on April 23, 1987. The violence unfolded across a residential neighborhood and two nearby shopping centers, leaving six people dead and numerous others wounded. Two of those killed were Palm Bay police officers who responded to reports of a gunman firing at civilians.
Cruse was born on November 21, 1927, and had previously lived and worked in Kentucky. He and his wife moved to Palm Bay during the mid-1980s. Neighbors later described him as hostile, unpredictable and easily angered. He frequently argued with neighborhood children and reportedly became enraged when people crossed his property or made fun of him.
Investigators and mental-health experts later determined that Cruse suffered from paranoid and delusional beliefs. He became obsessed with the idea that people in the community were spreading rumors about his sexuality and conspiring against him. Although these beliefs were irrational, they contributed to a growing sense of resentment and persecution. Before the massacre, Cruse obtained a semiautomatic rifle and approximately 180 rounds of ammunition.
The First Shooting
On the evening of April 23, 1987, Cruse loaded a semiautomatic rifle, a shotgun and a handgun into his car. Shortly before 6:00 p.m., he stopped near the home of a neighboring family where 14-year-old John Rich IV was playing basketball in the driveway.
Cruse lowered his car window and fired a shotgun at the teenager. John Rich IV was struck by birdshot but survived. Cruse also fired toward the boy's father, brother and mother before driving away. This attack marked the beginning of a shooting rampage that would continue for several hours.
Attack at the Palm Bay Center
Cruse drove to the Palm Bay Center shopping area and parked near a Publix supermarket. He exited his vehicle carrying the semiautomatic rifle, a handgun and a backpack filled with ammunition.
Nabil Al-Hameli, 25, and Emad Al-Tawakuly, 18, had just left the Publix with their friend, Faisel Al-Mutairi. Cruse opened fire without warning. Al-Hameli and Al-Tawakuly were fatally wounded, while Al-Mutairi was injured. Cruse later approached the two dying men and shot them again as they lay on the ground.
Cruse continued firing along the shopping-center walkway. He repeatedly shot toward Douglas Pollack as Pollack attempted to escape. He also wounded Eric Messerbauer near the Kmart store.
Ruth Greene, 67, was arriving near the Publix when Cruse fired at her vehicle. She was struck and killed. Witnesses described Cruse as appearing calm and methodical as he fired, reloaded and selected additional targets.
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