J.D. Gallop

FLORIDA TODAY

Willie Oliver Hagan Jr. was known for his quick wit, sharing smiles with his children and spreading laughter at such places as the King’s Lounge in Melbourne.

But Wednesday, Palm Bay police detectives were working to piece together the last few hours of the 31-year-old father of three’s life after someone shot him to death during his visit to an apartment complex just north of Palm Bay Road. By the afternoon, police had talked to witnesses, family members and others and were checking reports that he had visited a local club where a possible confrontation involving several others took place over a lingering disagreement.

"We don't know the reason, and we're trying to find out why it happened. It doesn't appear to be a random act," said Lt. Mike Bandish, spokesman for the Palm Bay Police Department.

The incident happened around 2 a.m. in the 3036 building of the Pines Apartment complex on Pinewood Drive. Police and witnesses said Hagan, known to friends as "60," was in the second-floor apartment when he was shot by apparent intruders. No arrests have been made or suspects named. At least one other person was in the apartment.

The deadly shooting is the 17th reported homicide to take place in Brevard County this year.

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Neighbors, who said the sounds of gunfire are not uncommon in the area, reported hearing the shots.

“The police are always out here,” said Ariess Taylor, a 24-year-old resident of the complex.

Others woke to find police and detectives clustered around the building where the shooting took place. Patrol cars blocked off the entrance to the parking lot leading to the two-story building, partially hidden by trees. A small crowd shared news about what happened as family members gathered across the street.

One of those relatives, Taujihana Brown, 24, said Hagan was her uncle and a good man.

"For the family this is a big loss," she said, looking across the street at the crime scene tape and police vans parked in front the building where her uncle was gunned down. "He was funny, always trying to make someone laugh. He really didn't have any beef with anyone."

Brown said she last saw Hagan a month ago. This morning she got a call from another relative telling her that he had been killed. Now his three children – and their unborn sibling – are left without a father.

"He loved life," she said.

Tamala Sanders, an area poet whose stage name is "Stallion," recalled working with Hagan for a talent show held at King’s Lounge, a Melbourne nightspot.

“I can hear him laughing,” Sanders said of Hagan, who she said was known for his comedic talent.

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Sanders said he took on the role of the Sandman, a stage character who worked at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, who removed or joked with talent show contestants.

“I’m really saddened by this. He was a friend of mine and worked with us on the show. There’s just a lot of senseless violence and I’m just at a loss for words. My pen is crying right now,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion.

Throughout the early morning the number of family members grew outside in the muggy weather. At one point, an unidentified woman collapsed and wailed as police attempted to talk with her, prompting other family members and friends to encircle her and give her comfort.

Detectives are now focusing on piecing together Hagan's last hours before the shooting, along with determining who he was visiting at the apartment complex and whether he may have even been the intended target of the shooter or shooters.

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call 321-952-3456.

Contact Gallop at 321-242-3642, jdgallop@floridatoday.com and Twitter at @JDGallop