Rockledge Mayor Tom Price Express Condolences After Fatal Shooting, Assures Citizens Police Are Seeking Motive

PRICE: employees are brave, courageous men

DURING THIS PRESS CONFERENCE, Rockledge Police Chief Joseph LaSata identified Robert Lorenzo Bailey, 28, of Cocoa, as the suspect in the shooting of two people, one fatally, in the parking lot of Schlenker’s Automotive last Friday.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rockledge Mayor Tom Price issued the below statement on Monday to the citizens of Rockledge in response to the fatal shooting Friday that left one dead and two wounded at Schlenker’s Automotive, located at 385 Barton Boulevard. Rockledge Police Chief Joseph LaSata identified Robert Lorenzo Bailey, 28, of Cocoa, as the suspect in the shooting of two people, one fatally, in the parking lot of Schlenker’s Automotive, located on Barton Boulevard.

Dear Citizens of Rockledge,

I want to take a moment to speak to each of you regarding the recent shooting that occurred in our City on Friday, November 24.

To begin, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Schlenker family, their employees, customers and vendors that had to endure this horrific experience. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of the deceased and the injured. This is a tragedy that all involved will remember for the rest of their lives. I pray for each of them to find the peace and comfort they need to get through this difficult time. In addition, I extend sincere appreciation to the brave employees who acted so quickly in an effort to deter the shooter from doing additional harm. They are brave and courageous men.

Next, I would like to assure each and every one of you that our officers are highly trained in active-shooter response, and they handled this situation in a precise and efficient manner. I offer my prayers and gratitude to all of the officers involved, as they were also in harm’s way and worked quickly and diligently to bring this City to safety.

This is still an ongoing investigation; please know that the Police Department is doing everything possible to bring closure to this case. We all want to know “why” a man would come into our peaceful, little City of Rockledge and be prepared for battle. The police are working around the clock to get that answer.

We hear of active shooters all over this country, but never did I, or anyone else, expect this to happen to us. Unfortunately, in today’s times, it did happen, and we can never be assured that it won’t happen again.

So, where do we go from here? For the businesses in this City, the Rockledge Police Department offers active shooting classes. This is something they have always offered, and I highly suggest you take advantage of this training. They will come to your place of business/office and train the owners and employees.

For residents, please always be aware of your surroundings. No matter where you are – a restaurant, store, movie, car wash, park or just out in public – look around. Who is in the area? Does anything look out of place? Is anyone acting a little strange? Report your suspicions to the Police Department immediately, no matter how insignificant YOU perceive the threat to be.

Having said all this, the first reaction for everyone should be to call 911. Acting on a situation should be your last resort. Always let the police handle things, unless you find yourself in an emergency situation and cannot wait.

Now is the time for us to come together as a City. This heinous act affected the entire City; it happened to all of us. We now need to make sure we look out for each other. We all need to support our police officers in their efforts to keep us safe.

– Rockledge Mayor Tom Price

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