SPRING HILL, Florida — It started as a day at the beach. It ended as the worst moment of two children’s lives.
A mother and her two kids, ages 9 and 12, arrived home Monday evening after a day of fun. What was waiting for them on the lawn was her ex-boyfriend — a uniformed deputy with a gun and a grievance over a television set.
Deputy Troy Savetz, a 14-year veteran of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, confronted the woman as she pulled up to her home on Platinum Drive around 5:30 p.m.
An argument broke out. Savetz snatched her phone.
She did the only thing a mother could do. She told her kids to go inside and call 911.
Then he forced her into his car and drove away.
A Daughter’s Bravery Could Not Save Her Mom
The 12-year-old called 911 immediately. She stayed calm. She gave dispatchers the information they needed — including identifying Savetz by name — so authorities could track the vehicle.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco called her “extremely brave.”
But by the time officers located the car, it was already over. The woman was dead from a gunshot wound. Savetz had turned the gun on himself.
Her name has not been released.
“An Argument Over a TV Set”
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri did not hold back.
“This was so stupid,” he said. “This is an argument over a TV set. For that to spark him to decide he is going to kidnap her, shoot her, and kill her — and have her kids experience that — it’s just horrible.”
Sheriff Nocco said the children went from what was probably the best day of their lives to the worst — in a matter of hours.
“What they’re doing is starting off this week getting ready for a sad life without their mother,” he said.
Two kids who should be shopping for school supplies are instead planning a funeral.
What should be done when warning signs appear in relationships involving law enforcement? Share your thoughts in the comments.