A Central Florida man was found guilty of attempted murder after shooting a teen riding on an ATV.
This month, jurors found 66-year-old Michael Regalski guilty on three counts of Attempted Second Degree Murder with a Firearm, one count of Shooting at an Occupied Vehicle, and one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence.
“The defendant’s actions were not only reckless but also a blatant disregard for human life,” said Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson. “The evidence presented clearly demonstrated his intent to cause harm and to also try to cover his crime up. Justice has been rightly served with this verdict and we hope the outcome brings some measure of relief to the victims and their families.”
The charges stem from an incident back in April of 2023, in which Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call for service regarding a shooting that had occurred. When officials arrived on scene, they located an adult victim, along with two juvenile victims on an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV). The victims indicated they were riding on the vehicle in the area when they heard two loud noises and pulled over, thinking the vehicle was malfunctioning.
While stopped, one of the juveniles indicated they felt pain in their lower abdomen, and upon reaching down immediately observed they were bleeding. CCSO officials and other medical first responders were able to stabilize the juvenile, who was then airlifted to a hospital for treatment.
CCSO’s Major Crimes Detective Roscoe Watts responded to the scene to investigate. During this time, he made contact with Regalski, whose home was just south of where the incident occurred. According to Regalski, he had seen the ATV with the three victims pass by his property previously while he was outside his garage. He said he had prior issues with the utility vehicles passing by his property loudly at all hours of the night.
Regalski further admitted when he saw the vehicle passing by his property the last time, he fired his Glock 40-caliber handgun at the vehicle in an attempt to deter the rides from driving by his property. When questioned as to what he did after firing at the utility vehicle, Regalski stated he secured his firearm inside his garage before entering his residence to wash his clothes and shower.
He then told Detective Watts after he showered, he viewed his home’s video surveillance camera footage of the incident. He claimed nothing was captured on the footage, but still decided to erase the footage after viewing it.
Regalski was subsequently arrested and booked into the Lecanto Detention Facility.
Assistant State Attorneys Kaitlyn Mannis and Blake Shore prosecuted this case. Regalski’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 19, 2024.
