What happened
A Florida mother reportedly urged her two children to run inside and call 911 during a confrontation with her former partner.
Authorities later found the woman and a sheriff’s deputy dead from gunshot wounds inside a rental car.
Officials praised the children for following their mother’s instructions and prioritising their safety.
A mother of two in Florida reportedly made a desperate plea for her children to get to safety and call 911 during a confrontation with her former boyfriend, a sheriff’s deputy, before the incident ended in a tragic killing.
The woman and her children, aged 9 and 12, had reportedly just returned from the beach on Monday evening, August 10, when they encountered Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Troy Savetz, 47, outside their home in Hudson.
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According to authorities, the woman became involved in an argument with Savetz over a television he allegedly wanted returned. The pair had reportedly been in a troubled on-and-off relationship.
During the confrontation, the mother instructed her children to run inside and call 911. She also attempted to seek help herself, but authorities said Savetz took her phone.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said investigators had listened to the emergency call and highlighted the mother's efforts to protect her children.
“Your mom is looking down from heaven, and she is so proud of you,” Nocco told the children. “You two did the right thing.”
Deputies were called to the woman's home at about 5:30 p.m., but authorities said the pair had already left. Police knew Savetz was armed and subsequently began tracking a rental vehicle believed to be connected to the incident.
Around 7 p.m., officers located the vehicle on Platinum Drive in Spring Hill, approximately six miles from the woman's home.
Inside, authorities found Savetz and the woman dead from gunshot wounds.
The woman's identity has not yet been released.
Nocco said the two children are now staying with their biological father as authorities continue investigating the incident.
He said the children should have been preparing for the start of a new school week but instead are facing life without their mother.
Savetz had served with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for 14 years and was assigned to its marine unit, according to Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.
Gualtieri condemned the deputy's actions, describing them as “inexcusable” and stressing that Savetz's alleged actions were separate from his role as a law enforcement officer.
“The moment this individual committed a crime he was no longer a law enforcement officer. He was a criminal,” Gualtieri said.
Authorities said the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.
