Neighbors of Palm Bay couple stunned by mall shooting

• They also were concerned for the couple%27s two teenage daughters%2C who also lived in Prum Avenue home
• Neighbors said Jose Garcia Rodriguez said he was not employed%2C and collecting disability benefits

Neighbors of Jose Garcia Rodriguez and Ida Garcia said they were stunned by the news of a shooting at Melbourne Square mall that involved the Palm Bay couple.

Police believe Jose Garcia Rodriguez shot and wounded his wife, then killed himself. Another man also died in the mall shooting.

"This is a mind-blowing, devastating situation," said Raymond Jacobs, 76, who lived across the street from the Rodriguez family on Prum Avenue Northwest. "It was a shock."

Jacobs, who visited the couple occasionally at their house, said he perceived them as "very close. They would walk hand-in-hand all the time. They were good neighbors."

Nick Csercse, 52, who lived next-door to the Garcias, said the shooting "is more than surreal."

"It's sad," Csercse said. "It doesn't make sense. I would have never expected him to be the shooter."

Both Jacobs and Csercse also expressed concern for the couple's two teenage daughters, who also lived in the ranch-style home on Prum Avenue.

"I feel sorry for the girls," Jacobs said.

Csercse said he and Jose Garcia Rodriguez often talked while doing yardwork, and both pitched in on the trimming of trees on their shared property lines.

The neighbors said Garcia told them he was not employed, and was collecting disability benefits because of a heart condition.

Csercse and Jacobs said the first they knew of trouble in the family was when they saw police vehicles — including one that was marked "bomb squad" — parked along the street on Saturday.

No one answered to door Saturday afternoon at the Garcia house, which is painted eggshell-white with greenish-brown trim, has an extensively landscaped front lawn and a pool in the back.

An ice-cream truck with a for-sale sign was parked next to the driveway. Neighbors said the couple and other family members at one time operated an ice-cream truck business.

Jacobs said he believed the couple moved to Palm Bay from Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, which struck in 2005.

Csercse said Garcia often talked about his wife in loving terms.

"He would say: 'She's so great. Isn't she great?' " Csercse said. "They were always together. They even hung up the Christmas lights together."

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 and dberman@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByDave Berman and on Facebook at facebook.com/dave.berman.54.