William Cruse

Mass Murderer

William Bryan Cruse Jr. Mass Shooting, April 23 1987

Background

William Bryan Cruse Jr., born November 21, 1927, was a 59-year-old retired librarian who moved from Kentucky to Palm Bay, Florida in about 1985. Neighbors found him odd and volatile; he had fired guns into the air and at children trespassing on his property, and he harbored delusions that people suspected him of being homosexual, which he said enraged him. He had a history of mental illness and depression and had gone off medications in the early 1980s. He purchased a Ruger Mini-14 .223-caliber semi-automatic rifle (with five 30-round magazines) about a month before the shooting spree in March 1987, along with other weapons—a shotgun and a revolver.

The Rampage

On April 23, 1987, just before 6:00 p.m., Cruse began a shooting spree in Palm Bay: He first confronted two boys on his property and wounded 14-year-old Johnny Rich with a shotgun. He then drove his white Toyota Tercel to the Palm Bay Shopping Center, where he walked toward a Publix grocery store. There, he shot and killed Nobil Al-Hameli (age 25) and Enud Al-Tawakuly (age 18), both Kuwaiti engineering students, and wounded their friend Faisal Al-Mutairi. He also shot at Douglas Pollack and Eric Messerbauer, and killed 67-year-old Ruth Greene in her car. Cruse drove across the street to Sabal Palm Square’s Winn-Dixie supermarket, where he shot and killed 27-year-old police officer Ronald Grogan as he approached in his patrol car, and then shot and killed 28-year-old officer Gerald Johnson after pursuing and wounding him. He entered the Winn-Dixie store and shot at customers fleeing, fatally shooting 52-year-old Lester Watson in the back. He discovered two women hiding in the women’s restroom—Judy Larson and employee Robin Brown. He sent Larson to alert police, and held Brown hostage. Cruse negotiated briefly, demanded police bring his car to the back of the store so he could drive away, then released his hostage at about 1:10 a.m. on April 24. Police ended the siege by deploying tear gas and stun grenades, and apprehended Cruse at about 1:56 a.m., freeing other trapped customers in the process.

Victims

• Nobil Al-Hameli, age 25, a Kuwaiti engineering student—killed April 23, 1987, at the Publix parking lot in Palm Bay.
• Enud Al-Tawakuly, age 18, a Kuwaiti engineering student—killed April 23, 1987, at the Publix parking lot in Palm Bay.
• Ruth Greene, age 67—killed April 23, 1987, in her car outside the Publix.
• Ronald Grogan, age 27, Palm Bay police officer—killed April 23, 1987, in the Winn-Dixie parking lot.
• Gerald Johnson, age 28, Palm Bay police officer—killed April 23, 1987, in the Winn-Dixie parking lot after being wounded.
• Lester Watson, age 52—killed April 23, 1987, inside the Winn-Dixie supermarket.

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Confirmed Victims: (6)

Emad Al-Tawakuly 18 yr old Male

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1987 Palm Bay shooting - Wikipedia

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