Florida Man Shoots 6-Year-Old Son, Girlfriend and Dog at Mother's Pool

A Sarasota man opened fire with a pump-action shotgun during a family pool day, killing his son, girlfriend and dog. No motive has been established.

Florida Man Kills Son and Girlfriend at Mother's Gated Community Pool

Nicholas Novickis, 34, of Sarasota, Florida, fatally shot his 6-year-old son, his girlfriend and his husky with a pump-action shotgun during a family pool visit at his mother's home on Saturday, May 23, according to Law & Crime.

The shooting took place on the glass-roofed lanai of a residence in Sarasota's gated Artistry neighborhood. Novickis' son, Phoenix, was swimming in the pool when his father walked onto the patio armed with a shotgun, "racked" the weapon and shot the boy once in the head, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Surveillance footage recorded by the home's cameras shows Novickis stepping onto the lanai with the shotgun. His girlfriend, identified in the affidavit as Allie — who shares his last name but whom police say was not legally married to him — followed him inside briefly before returning to the patio, where she was subsequently shot.

"At no time prior to the shooting did there appear to be an argument or any type of disturbance," the affidavit states.

Novickis' mother was asleep upstairs when the first shots were fired. She woke to the sound of breaking glass, went to the back slider and witnessed her son shoot Phoenix. She then called 911. While she remained on the phone with dispatchers, Novickis allegedly shot the dog and dropped the shotgun. His mother was able to secure the weapon and flee the residence unharmed. As she moved through the home, she discovered that Allie had also been shot and killed.

During a subsequent police interview, Novickis made what the affidavit describes as a "spontaneous utterance," expressing regret and saying it was "f—ed up" that he had killed his girlfriend, son and dog.

Sarasota County Sheriff's Office spokesperson stated at a press conference that investigators have not identified a motive. "Currently, we don't have a motive at this point," the spokesperson said. "From what we understand, they actually went to the house to swim in the pool and enjoy the day."

The spokesperson added that Novickis had no prior criminal history beyond a single speeding offense and that nothing had appeared out of the ordinary about the visit.

Novickis was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of animal cruelty. He is scheduled to appear at a pretrial detention hearing on Friday, May 29.

Source: Law & Crime