William Bryan Cruse Jr. was born on November 21, 1927. He grew up in Kentucky. There is not much information available about his early childhood and family. He later became a librarian and would work in this profession for many years.

In 1985, Cruse moved to Palm Bay, Florida, with his wife. His wife was unwell and suffered from Parkinson's disease. This move marked a new chapter in their lives. However, his neighbors began to view him in a negative light. They described him as scary, ornery, and sometimes a little crazy. Some of them were concerned about his behavior.

Cruse had a reputation for causing trouble. He once came out of his house carrying guns and fired shots into the air. Children in the neighborhood often reported that he shouted obscenities at them and made inappropriate gestures. This behavior contributed to his unfriendly reputation in the community.

In the weeks leading up to a serious incident, children in the neighborhood taunted him. Cruse often argued with them, which only worsened the tension. At one point, an indecency report was filed against him. Cruse also had strong negative feelings towards homosexuals, which he later expressed in discussions with investigators. He mentioned that some grocery store employees thought he was gay, which added to his anger and frustration.

These events in his life would build up to a turning point, but further details about his early life are limited. William Bryan Cruse Jr. passed away on November 29, 2009, at the age of 82. He lived much of his later life as a retired librarian in Palm Bay, but his earlier years remain mostly undocumented in historical records.

Just before 6:00 p.m. on April 23, 1987, William Bryan Cruse Jr. confronted two boys on his property in Palm Bay. He then loaded his white Toyota Tercel with a shotgun, a pistol, and a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle. While driving towards the Palm Bay Shopping Center, he stopped at a neighbor's house and opened fire on 14-year-old Johnny Rich, wounding him. When Rich's family came outside to help, Cruse shot at them as he drove away.

At 6:15 p.m., Cruse arrived at the Palm Bay Shopping Center. He exited his car armed with the Ruger and approached a nearby Publix grocery store. As two shoppers, 25-year-old Nobil Al-Hameli and 18-year-old Enud Al-Tawakuly, were leaving the store, Cruse shot and killed both of them. He also wounded their friend, Faisal Al-Mutairi. Cruse continued to fire at other people in the area, hitting Douglas Pollack and shooting Eric Messerbauer. He then killed 67-year-old Ruth Greene, who was parking her car.

Cruse returned to his vehicle and drove to the Sabal Palm Square. He parked outside a Winn-Dixie grocery store and began shooting again. Palm Bay police officer Ronald Grogan arrived on the scene in his patrol car. Cruse turned and fired multiple shots at Grogan, killing him. Officer Gerald Johnson arrived shortly after. Cruse shot Johnson in the leg and then found him, shooting him several more times and killing him as well.

Entering the Winn-Dixie grocery store, Cruse saw shoppers trying to escape through the back door and shot at them. He fatally shot 52-year-old Lester Watson in the back. Cruse then found two women hiding in the restroom. He instructed one of them to go outside and tell the police to turn off the lights in the store. He took the other woman, Robin Brown, hostage.

Cruse tried to negotiate with the police and demanded they bring his car to the back of the store so he could leave Palm Bay. He claimed he would let them kill him once he was outside Brevard County, but the police rejected his request. At 1:10 a.m. on April 24, he allowed Brown to leave. The police then fired tear gas and stun grenades into the store. Cruse was captured alive at 1:56 a.m. when police found him lying in the store. By 3:30 a.m., six people were confirmed dead, and 14 others had been injured during the shootings.

Cruse was charged with multiple crimes. On April 5, 1989, he was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and false imprisonment. He was sentenced to death for killing the two police officers and received a total prison sentence of 103 years for the other charges.

On November 29, 2009, Cruse died in prison from natural causes, prior to his execution. He was 82 years old at the time of his death.