ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A man was found dead Sunday morning in St. Petersburg.
At 7:15 a.m., officers responded to a man bleeding on Melrose Avenue S., west of Dr. Martin Luther King Street S.
Once at the scene, police say they found 60-year-old Vernon Williams dead.
Police did not initially reveal his manner of death, but authorities later confirmed he had been shot in what appears to be an "unprovoked" attack. His death is being investigated as a homicide.
Melrose Avenue S was temporarily closed between Dr. Martin Luther King Street S. and 11th Street S. while police searched for evidence.
On Tuesday, the St. Pete Police Department announced it was offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information about Williams' death and the death of another man in an unrelated shooting that authorities also think was unprovoked.
Anybody with information on Williams' homicide or the April 12 homicide of 24-year-old Corlenzo Williams (no known connection) on 17th Avenue South is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.