On April 23, 1987, Officer Ronald Grogan, a 27-year-old white male police officer, was killed in Palm Bay, Florida while responding to a mass shooting at a local shopping center. Grogan and fellow officer Gerald Johnson went to the scene after a shooter began firing; as Grogan approached in his patrol car, the shooter opened fire and killed him before he could exit the vehicle. Officer Johnson was also shot and killed during the incident.

The shooter, identified as 59-year-old William Bryan Cruse Jr., had first confronted two boys near his property, then drove to the Palm Bay Shopping Center and began shooting at random. Cruse killed multiple civilians and wounded many others, used a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle plus a shotgun and a pistol, and later created a hostage situation at a supermarket. He was apprehended later that night and charged in the killings.

The community remembers the officers’ sacrifice. If anyone has memories of Officer Grogan, the events that night, or information that has not been shared, please speak up.