Melbourne police continue their search for a suspect in connection with the shooting death of a Palm Bay man near a middle school campus Tuesday afternoon.
Stone Magnet Middle School and University Park Elementary School, around half a mile from the store where the man was found, were briefly placed on lockdown as Melbourne police searched for at least one gunman who fired the deadly volley of shots along Monroe Street.
In a press release, police identified the person killed as Craig S. Dewberry Jr., 27, of Palm Bay. He was found inside the Tip Top Mini Mart at 3004 Monroe St. Dewberry was not associated with the store nor the schools, police said.
The shooting was reported just after 12 p.m., after a Melbourne Police school resource officer assigned to the middle school reported hearing gunshots east of the Stone campus.
Melbourne police officers went house to house in the University Boulevard neighborhood in the search for a shooter. University Boulevard was closed from Lipscomb Street to Main Street for more than two hours.
It was the 29th homicide to take place in Brevard County since the beginning of the year.
A shelter in place order at the schools was lifted about 1 p.m. An investigation is ongoing.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter: @JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Police: Shooting near 2 Melbourne schools leaves Palm Bay man dead
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