Authorities say seven people died across Fort Lauderdale and Sarasota County on Tuesday.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Police and sheriff’s investigators have identified seven people, including the suspected shooter, who died in a pair of connected killings more than 200 miles apart that authorities say began with two deaths in Fort Lauderdale and ended with four more victims and the suspect dead in Sarasota County.
The case has unfolded across two regions of Florida and left families scrambling to mourn and answer questions that detectives have not yet resolved. Authorities say the suspect, 51-year-old Russell Kot of Fort Lauderdale, killed two people at a home in that city, then traveled to Sarasota County and carried out a shooting at a house in a gated community before dying by suicide. Investigators have said there is no continuing danger to the public, but they have not determined what drove the suspect to target the Sarasota victims.
Fort Lauderdale police said officers were sent about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to a residence in the Victoria Park neighborhood for a well-being check. Inside a home in the 500 block of Northeast 15th Avenue, officers found two people dead, police said. The victims were identified as Larisa Blyudaya, 46, and Ben Azivov, 18, both Fort Lauderdale residents. Detectives said early findings indicated the deaths were an isolated incident and that investigators did not believe there was any threat to the local public. Authorities have said Kot had previously been in a romantic relationship with Blyudaya.
In Sarasota County, deputies responded shortly before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday to a home in the Amberlea neighborhood near Proctor and McIntosh roads after a neighbor called 911 to report a shooting. Deputies arrived to find neighbors performing CPR on a wounded man in the front yard, the sheriff’s office said. Fire rescue crews took over, but he died a short time later. Investigators identified him as Anatoly Ioffe, 61. Deputies entered the home after being told the homeowner’s wife might be inside, and they found four more people dead, including the suspect, the sheriff’s office said.
The four Sarasota victims were identified as Ioffe, Olga Greinert, 49, Florita Stolyar, 66, and Yaroslav Blyudoy, 39. Friends said Blyudoy was known as Stan and described him as Stolyar’s son and Ioffe’s stepson. Loved ones said Greinert had moved to Sarasota from Ukraine after escaping the war and that she was a family friend who had been hired to help with cleaning and chores at the house. A friend quoted in local coverage said Greinert was at the home to help because Stolyar had been dealing with back problems, adding that she appeared to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Investigators say the connection between the two crime scenes became clearer as detectives shared details across agencies. Sarasota detectives said Fort Lauderdale investigators contacted them and provided information about the suspect’s vehicle, which was later found in the Sarasota neighborhood. The sheriff’s office said video gathered from neighbors and the homeowners association showed the suspect’s vehicle entering the Sarasota community at 11:01 a.m., followed shortly by the sound of gunfire captured on a neighbor’s doorbell camera. Less than 40 minutes later, video reviewed by detectives showed Ioffe driving into the neighborhood, approaching the front door and being shot, the sheriff’s office said. After that, investigators said no one else was seen approaching the house until deputies arrived.
Authorities have released limited detail about what happened inside the home and have not said exactly when the Fort Lauderdale killings occurred, only that the two victims were later found during the well-being check and that the suspect was believed to have killed them before traveling to Sarasota County. Investigators have said the motive for targeting the Sarasota victims is unknown. Sarasota detectives also said they had no known record showing a documented mental health crisis or a history of violence tied to the suspect.
As the investigation continued, friends and relatives described a family that had built connections across generations and felt rooted in the Sarasota home. In a statement shared through loved ones, family members said they were facing an unimaginable loss and were still in deep shock and grief. They said they were also dealing with urgent legal, financial and administrative matters while trying to support one another. In Sarasota, neighbors described a quiet street transformed by flashing lights, investigators and taped-off yards, with residents stopping to watch from driveways and sidewalks as deputies moved in and out of the neighborhood.
Detectives in Fort Lauderdale and Sarasota County are continuing to compare evidence and review video as they piece together the suspect’s movements between the cities and the relationships among the victims. Authorities have not announced any arrests because the suspect is dead, and they have not released a specific timeline for when a final investigative report will be completed. For now, investigators say the work is focused on confirming the sequence of events and determining what prompted the attacks.
Author note: Last updated February 13, 2026.