Sarasota Shooting Suspect Brought 2 Guns, 5 Knives, Multiple Weapons to Crime Scene

Three days after multiple people were found dead at homes in Sarasota and Fort Lauderdale in shooting-related incidents, Florida police revealed that a suspect was seen at a Sarasota residence with two guns, five knives and other weapons.

Russell Kot51, is accused of murder Larisa Bludaya,46, and Ben Azivov18, at home in Fort Lauderdale before he drove across the country to Sarasota and was fatally shot. Olga Greinert49, Florita Stolyar66, Anatoly Ioff,61, and Yaroslav Blyudoy39, in a home within a gated community.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release on Friday, February 13, that they learned Kot moved from Illinois to Fort Lauderdale in the fall of 2025.

“He lived with Larissa Blyudoy, ​​the daughter of Florita Stolyar, until the end of 2025, when they both separated,” said the press release. “A review of Kot’s cell phone records did not reveal any incident that occurred prior to the shooting involving Larissa or any of her family members.”

Additionally, police said there are no records showing Kot was living at Stolyar’s Fallcrest in Sarasota or taking care of the family’s animals in the months leading up to the shooting.

Investigators also confirmed that Kot met Grinert, the family’s housekeeper, at least once before the incident.

A search warrant was issued for Kot’s car, where authorities found two guns, ammunition, five knives, rope, tape and an axe, according to the statement. Weapons were found in the car in addition to the two guns Kot had with him when he entered the Fallcrest residence.

“Investigators determined that after killing Olga Greinert and Yaroslav Blyudoy, ​​son of Florita Stolyar, Kot sent a suicide message to his family members,” the press release said. “He then stayed in Fallcrest until Florita and her husband, Anatoly Ioffe, returned home. When they arrived, they were both shot and killed. Kot then shot himself.”

Police added that Crime Scene Analysts found more than 20 shell casings in the residences, and it was confirmed that each victim had multiple gunshot wounds.

The investigation of this case is still ongoing.

Deputies responded to a Fallcrest home around 12:30 pm on February 10. When they arrived, authorities found a neighbor performing CPR on a male victim in the home’s backyard. The male victim was then transported to another location, where he was pronounced dead.

Neighbors told police that the man’s wife may have been inside the house. They entered the place where two women and two men have died.

While Sarasota deputies were trying to identify the victims and suspects, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department contacted them and said they were busy with two murders. At the time, Fort Lauderdale police said they believed the shooting in Sarasota was related to their investigation.

After police confirmed through surveillance footage that Kot had passed through the Sarasota area, the two departments were able to piece together that he committed the murder in Fort Lauderdale before going to Fallcrest.