On April 23, 1987, Lester Watson, 51, was fatally shot during a mass shooting in Palm Bay, Florida. The attacker, identified as William Bryan Cruse Jr., opened fire first at a neighbor’s child and family, then drove to the Palm Bay Center shopping area and began shooting at shoppers and passersby. Watson was struck in the back while the gunman continued firing at the shopping center.

The rampage left six people dead and fourteen others wounded, and included the deaths of two responding officers, Ronald Grogan and Gerald Johnson. Cruse was armed with a semiautomatic assault rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol, and he took hostages in a store before police used tear gas to end the standoff and take him into custody.

Cruse was charged with six counts of first-degree murder and other offenses; he was convicted and sentenced to death on July 28, 1989. Families of the victims later pursued legal action. If anyone knew Lester Watson or was in the Palm Bay Center that day and can add details about his life or that afternoon, please share what you know.