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.
Murders of Officers Ronald Grogan and Gerald Johnson
After hearing approaching sirens, Cruse returned to his car and drove across the street to the Sabal Palm Square shopping center. He stopped near a Winn-Dixie supermarket, exited the vehicle and resumed firing.
Palm Bay Police Officer Ronald Midgley Grogan, 27, was among the first officers to reach the scene. As Grogan approached in his patrol car, Cruse turned toward the vehicle, reloaded his rifle and fired numerous rounds into it. Grogan was fatally wounded while attempting to protect civilians from the gunfire.
Officer Gerald Douglas Johnson, 28, entered the parking lot moments later and got out of his patrol vehicle. Cruse shot Johnson in the leg. Rather than fleeing, Cruse moved through the parking lot searching for the wounded officer. After finding him, Cruse fired several additional shots and killed him.
A rescue team attempted to reach Grogan and move his patrol car out of the gunman's line of fire. Cruse fired at the rescuers, preventing them from safely approaching the fallen officer.
Shooting Inside the Winn-Dixie
Cruse entered the Winn-Dixie supermarket while customers and employees attempted to hide or escape. He moved toward the rear of the building, where several people were trying to leave through a back door and cross a drainage ditch behind the shopping center.
Cruse fired at the fleeing group, injuring several people. Lester Watson, 52, was shot in the back and killed during the attempt to escape.
Some customers barricaded themselves inside a freezer and remained hidden throughout the standoff. Others concealed themselves in offices, storage rooms and restrooms.
Hostage Situation
Inside the women's restroom, Cruse discovered Winn-Dixie employee Robin Brown and another woman, Judy Larson. He ordered Larson to leave the store and deliver a message instructing police to turn off the building's lights. Cruse kept Brown as a hostage.
Cruse communicated with police and demanded that his automobile be brought to the rear of the supermarket. He proposed driving out of Brevard County with the hostage and then allowing officers to kill him. Police refused to provide the car or permit him to leave the scene.
The standoff continued through the evening and into the early morning of April 24. After several hours, Cruse released Robin Brown unharmed.
Capture
Following the hostage's release, police launched an assault on the supermarket. Officers fired tear gas and stun grenades into the building, forcing Cruse from his hiding position.
At approximately 1:56 a.m. on April 24, 1987, officers captured Cruse alive. Customers who had hidden inside the freezer were then located and brought to safety. Authorities announced that six people had been killed and at least 14 had been wounded or otherwise injured during the attacks.
Victims Killed
- Nabil Al-Hameli, 25 – Killed on April 23, 1987, outside the Publix supermarket at the Palm Bay Center in Palm Bay, Florida.
- Emad Al-Tawakuly, 18 – Killed on April 23, 1987, outside the Publix supermarket at the Palm Bay Center in Palm Bay, Florida.
- Ruth Greene, 67 – Shot and killed on April 23, 1987, while arriving near the Publix supermarket at the Palm Bay Center.
- Officer Ronald Midgley Grogan, 27 – Palm Bay police officer killed on April 23, 1987, near the Winn-Dixie at Sabal Palm Square.
- Officer Gerald Douglas Johnson, 28 – Palm Bay police officer wounded and then fatally shot on April 23, 1987, in the Sabal Palm Square parking lot.
- Lester Watson, 52 – Shot in the back and killed on April 23, 1987, while attempting to escape from the rear of the Winn-Dixie supermarket.
Survivors and Injured Victims
The attack wounded numerous people at the Rich family residence, the Palm Bay Center and Sabal Palm Square. Among the known survivors were 14-year-old John Rich IV, Faisel Al-Mutairi and Eric Messerbauer. Other victims were struck by gunfire while attempting to flee the shopping centers or escape through the rear of the Winn-Dixie.
Robin Brown survived being held hostage, and Judy Larson escaped after being ordered to carry Cruse's message to police. Several shoppers who barricaded themselves inside a supermarket freezer also survived without being discovered by the gunman.
Trial and Convictions
Because of extensive publicity in Brevard County, Cruse's trial was moved to Polk County. His attorneys presented evidence concerning his mental condition and paranoid delusions. Prosecutors argued that his preparations, weapons, ammunition, repeated reloading and controlled behavior demonstrated premeditation.
In 1989, Cruse was convicted of six counts of first-degree murder, 22 counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, one count of false imprisonment and one count of kidnapping.
The jury recommended death sentences for all six murders. The trial judge imposed death sentences for the murders of Officers Ronald Grogan and Gerald Johnson. Cruse received consecutive life sentences for the murders of Nabil Al-Hameli, Emad Al-Tawakuly, Ruth Greene and Lester Watson.
Appeals and Death
The Florida Supreme Court upheld Cruse's convictions and death sentences in 1991. His attorneys continued filing appeals and challenging aspects of his trial, mental condition and sentencing.
William Bryan Cruse Jr. remained on Florida's death row for approximately two decades. He was never executed. Cruse died of natural causes in prison on November 29, 2009, eight days after his 82nd birthday.
Legacy
The April 23, 1987, Palm Bay shooting remains one of the deadliest criminal attacks in Brevard County history. The massacre permanently affected the victims' families, surviving shoppers, police officers, emergency personnel and the wider Palm Bay community.
Officers Ronald Grogan and Gerald Johnson are memorialized by the Palm Bay Police Department for their actions during the attack. Grogan used his patrol vehicle to place a barrier between the gunman and civilians, while Johnson entered the danger area to assist his fellow officer and protect members of the public.
Annual memorial observances have honored the two officers and the four civilian victims. Their names remain central to the history of the tragedy, which is remembered not only for Cruse's violence but also for the courage of the officers, survivors, rescue personnel and bystanders who attempted to help others during the prolonged attack.
