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Old 07-02-2013, 08:07 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
4,678 posts, read 9,837,118 times
Reputation: 1960

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Pain of '83 Winn-Dixie firebombing lingers for family | Breaking Tampa Bay, Florida and national news and weather from Tampa Bay Online and The Tampa Tribune | TBO.com

Quote:
TAMPA - Thirty years ago, a mentally ill man walked into a Winn-Dixie store in Clair-Mel. He was carrying a large can of gasoline.

John William "Billy'' Ferry Jr. showered several checkout lines with fuel and struck a match. The store exploded in fire. Dozens of people were injured; five died, including a 4-year-old girl and her mother.

It was, and remains, one of Tampa Bay's deadliest crimes.
I was only an infant at the time, but ended up living literally 2 blocks from this store as a teen, is there any Tampa natives on this forum that lived in the area and remember this heinous crime?!

 
Old 07-02-2013, 09:49 PM
 
3,826 posts, read 5,760,670 times
Reputation: 2396
What a horrible crime...
 
Old 07-03-2013, 06:01 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
27,798 posts, read 32,204,693 times
Reputation: 14611
Lived here in the early 80's while going to USF and remember every day that there seemed to be some sort of bad news coming from somewhere in the TB/STP area - mostly convenience store murders. I think it had a lot to do with the FLA's drug scene back then. I wasn't here for that one (Winn-Dixie) - but it was a horrific murder of several people. In today's world he'd have done it with an automatic weapon instead of gasoline most likely.
 
Old 07-03-2013, 06:18 AM
 
Location: FL
1,400 posts, read 1,567,451 times
Reputation: 2016
Remember it very well, I was about 16 and living in Clearwater at the time. Horrible crime.
 
Old 07-03-2013, 08:04 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
4,678 posts, read 9,837,118 times
Reputation: 1960
I'm glad to see at least a couple people remember it, I think the guy was a nut who was always threatening people in Palm River, at least that's what I've heard.

I figured there weren't too many natives on here that remember anything that far back.
 
Old 07-03-2013, 08:55 PM
 
Location: Lincoln County Road or Armageddon
4,972 posts, read 7,155,695 times
Reputation: 7224
Quote:
Originally Posted by TXRyan23 View Post
I'm glad to see at least a couple people remember it, I think the guy was a nut who was always threatening people in Palm River, at least that's what I've heard.

I figured there weren't too many natives on here that remember anything that far back.
Lots of people remember it.

Last edited by Sunscape; 07-05-2013 at 03:01 PM..
 
Old 07-04-2013, 01:47 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
27,798 posts, read 32,204,693 times
Reputation: 14611
Right - because this stuff only happened/happens in FLA.
 
Old 07-04-2013, 04:45 PM
 
Location: South Carolina
14,785 posts, read 23,946,607 times
Reputation: 27090
I for one remember it very well lived right down the road off of palm river rd and it was pretty bad my mother said something bout the smoke . she could smell smoke in the air . The girl that was the cashier that got burned up she lived a few blocks from us we remember ....house is gone and so are the folks but i remember it like it was yesterday . Very bad thing and yes it most likely was part of the drug thing back then .They said that the ferrys mom tried to get billy help but she could nt cause they were real poor and he needed mental help . well it took him fire bombing a store to get help so sad .I still feel bad for that girl(cashier) and her parents . They never were the same . I think her dad passed away a while ago . I still have friends and two cousins in that area .
 
Old 07-04-2013, 05:41 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
4,678 posts, read 9,837,118 times
Reputation: 1960
Quote:
Originally Posted by BucFan View Post
This horrific stuff happens in many states -

Death row: Texas prisoners’ final words | Toronto Star
LoL, people can't wait to drag Texas into these types of threads. What's a woman killing another woman as a hate crime have to do with a mental guy walking into a packed grocery store, soaking innocent people in gasoline, and lighting them on fire?
 
Old 07-04-2013, 06:04 PM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
27,798 posts, read 32,204,693 times
Reputation: 14611
Quote:
Originally Posted by TXRyan23 View Post
LoL, people can't wait to drag Texas into these types of threads. What's a woman killing another woman as a hate crime have to do with a mental guy walking into a packed grocery store, soaking innocent people in gasoline, and lighting them on fire?
It's an example of how horrendous, off-the-wall crime doesn't just happen in FLA after someone took yet another jab at Florida.
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