The man shot and killed Friday night at Edison Mall was in Lee County Jail facing violent felony charges just a month before his death.
Thomas Arthur Goodman, 25, of Fort Myers, was arrested in November on charges including aggravated assault and firing a weapon into a dwelling or vehicle. He was released on a $30,000 bond 26 days later.
Fort Myers police Lt. Jay Rodriguez said it is too early to tell if Goodman’s death was connected to his prior charges.
“I don’t want to say it’s a retaliation because we don’t know who the shooter is, but I can tell you it wasn’t isolated. He wasn’t just a victim walking to the park and they shot him,” Rodriguez said.
Goodman died at Lee Memorial Hospital on Friday night after suffering multiple gunshot wounds in the mall parking lot outside Macy’s and J.C. Penney. The shooter circled the area several times in a gray vehicle and fired more than 50 shots with an assault rifle. The amount of shots fired made it obvious Goodman was target of the attack, Rodriguez said.
“He’s angered some people,” he said.
Darn Old Order Amish and their sauerkraut wars again!