A Florida family pool day turned into a nightmare after police say a man opened fire with a shotgun, killing his girlfriend, his young son and the family dog for no clear reason.
Nicholas Novickis, 34, of Sarasota, is accused of carrying out the horrifying attack on Saturday, May 23, at his mother’s home in the gated Artistry neighborhood in Sarasota.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Novickis had brought his girlfriend, Allie, their son Phoenix, and their dog to the home to swim and spend the day by the pool.
Police say there did not appear to be any argument or disturbance before the shooting.
“Currently, we don’t have a motive at this point,” a Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told reporters. “From what we understand, they actually went to the house to swim in the pool and enjoy the day.”
Surveillance video allegedly captured Novickis walking onto the glass-roofed pool patio, known as a lanai, while holding a pump-action shotgun.
According to the affidavit, Phoenix was swimming when Novickis walked outside, “racked the shotgun,” and shot the boy in the head.
Before the shooting, the footage reportedly showed Novickis going inside from the lanai, with Allie following him. Allie then came back outside before going inside again. Moments later, police say Novickis reappeared on camera carrying the shotgun.
The affidavit says that “at no time prior to the shooting did there appear to be an argument or any type of disturbance.”
Novickis’ mother was reportedly upstairs asleep when the first shots rang out. She woke up to the sound of glass breaking, according to the affidavit.
When she went toward the back lanai, she saw Phoenix near the doorway. Police say Novickis then walked out, racked the shotgun and shot his son.
His mother called 911.
While she was on the phone with dispatchers, Novickis allegedly shot the family dog, described in the affidavit as a husky. He then dropped the shotgun, and his mother was able to secure it.
As she moved through the home, she also found that Allie had been shot, authorities said. Novickis’ mother was able to escape the house without being hurt.
Police said Allie shared Novickis’ last name, but investigators had no record showing the couple was legally married.
Authorities said Novickis had no prior criminal history other than a speeding offense.
“There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary,” the sheriff’s office spokesperson said.
During an interview with police, Novickis allegedly made a spontaneous statement expressing regret and saying it was “f—ed up” that he had killed his girlfriend, son and dog.
Novickis was arrested and booked on 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.