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Man on bicycle fires shots on U.S. in Cocoa

Cocoa police received two 911 calls from witnesses who reported a man on a bicycle shooting at vehicles on U.S. 1 between Michigan Avenue and Dixon Boulevard.
The shooting was reported just after 8 p.m. Thursday.
No vehicles were hit, and no one was injured.
The armed bicyclist was seen heading into a wooded area near a railroad track.  
Police set up a perimeter and continued their search into Friday. 
A witness said the man was firing at random.
“He came down the road, holding the bicycle with one hand, holding the gun down with the other hand. I'm looking like that can't be a real gun. People don't do that in broad daylight. I thought it was a BB gun,” said the witness.
Cocoa police said the man was carrying a 45 caliber handgun.
Officers found shell casings at the scene Thursday night. 
“I made eye contact with him. He made eye contact with me; He made a U-turn, went back down the sidewalk. A lady was coming by in a car right here. He pointed the gun at her, and she sped up. He got by the church and left off three or four shots. I said, ‘Wow. That's a real gun,’ and called 911,” the witness said.
“I did hear a lot of sirens, but I didn't hear any gunshots. But living on the other side of U.S. 1, you always hear sirens. There's always police activity,” said neighbor Dean Boothe.
The gunman is described as a black man wearing a black hat and black clothing. He was described as "scruffy."  
Witnesses told police he was carrying a red backpack.    
“There are crazy people in the world, and crazy people don't belong walking on the street with a gun. They need to be in jail,” Boothe said.
Police believed they have recovered the bicycle the man was using.  It is believed the man dumped the bicycle before he fled the area. 
The investigation is ongoing. 

Cox Media Group

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