MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Authorities say 28-year-old Franklin Reid III shot and killed Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joseph Bullock Wednesday morning.
Reid lived in Palm Bay, according to his family.
Reid’s grandmother, Arlene Cooper-Ramos, said she raised Reed since he was 3-years-old.
“I don’t know what happened. My heart goes out to the highway patrol [trooper], his family, and my heart goes out for him,” Cooper-Ramos said.
Cooper-Ramos says her family is equally shocked and confused about the events leading up to the deadly shooting. Investigators said Reid shot Trooper Bullock who was on the scene assisting with Reid’s disabled car. It was in the process of being towed.
An off-duty Riviera Beach Police Officer shot and killed Reid, according to investigators.
Reid has no criminal history, and his family says no previous history of being violent. There are no charges on his record to keep him from owning a gun.
“It’s not adding up because I know my grandson. My grandson was a good character. I’ve never known my grandson to get in a fight. I’ve never seen him fight with no one,” Cooper-Ramos said.
Cooper-Ramos said Reid played football in high school and held different government jobs including one with FEMA. Currently, he was working in construction, she said.
Cooper-Ramos said she spoke to Reid on the phone the morning of the shooting. She said there was nothing unusual about their conversation or his demeanor.
“We want to know the truth. The truth of what happened. That’s what I want to know,” Cooper-Ramos said.
She joins the many people waiting for more insight into what happened leading up to the shooting.
“It is sad right now.”