Brevard County

‘Please come forward’: Family of cab driver fatally shot in Cocoa pleads for help finding killer

COCOA, Fla. — Cocoa police said they have yet to identify the person who shot and killed a cab driver last week, in the same area where a delivery driver was robbed at gunpoint days earlier.

Officers said Robert Riness, 49, was shot and killed Thursday after he was called to the area of Kensington Drive and Donna Avenue to pick someone up just before 11 p.m.

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In the same area on Tuesday, officers said a delivery driver was robbed at gunpoint before the assailant fled in the driver’s vehicle. Officers said the delivery driver was not injured.

Police are still trying to determine whether Riness and the pizza delivery driver were called to the neighborhood by the same person.

READ: Cab driver shot, killed in Cocoa near where delivery driver robbed at gunpoint days earlier

“I was so angry Friday, I just shook all day long,” Riness’ sister, Tracy Baldwin, said.

Riness’ family is asking for the public’s help to identify the person responsible for Riness’ death.

“Please come forward,” his mother Patricia Maybee said.

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Cocoa police believe robbery was the motive for the Thursday night shooting; but as far as investigators can tell, nothing was taken. Baldwin told me she often worried about her younger brother.

Crimeline is offering a $5,000 reward for tips in the case. Anyone with information on either case is asked to contact Central Florida CRIMELINE at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477). Callers will remain anonymous and can be eligible for cash rewards of up to $5,000. Witnesses may also send tips to dropadime@cocoapolice.com.

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Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.

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