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Florida Killings in Sarasota and Fort Lauderdale Linked to One Suspect as Victims Are Identified

Investigators say surveillance footage plus vehicle records knit together the cross‑state timeline as they probe an unclear motive.

Overview

  • Authorities identified the suspect as 51-year-old Russell Kot, who was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the Sarasota home.
  • Seven people died in the linked incidents: two in Fort Lauderdale and five in Sarasota, including the suspected gunman.
  • Fort Lauderdale victims were named as Larisa Blyudaya, 46, and Ben Azivov, 18; Sarasota victims were identified as Olga Greinert, 49, Florita Stolyar, 66, Anatoly Ioffe, 61, and Yaroslav Blyudoy, 39.
  • Detectives say Kot’s vehicle was recorded traveling north through Punta Gorda before entering Sarasota’s Amberlea neighborhood at 11:01 a.m., with a Ring camera capturing gunfire and a separate victim later seen arriving and being shot at the door.
  • Police report Kot previously had a romantic relationship with one Fort Lauderdale victim who was connected to the Sarasota victims, and officials say there is no known ongoing threat to the public.