LAKE WORTH, Fla. – Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies have identified the suspect who was fatally shot by a deputy Wednesday morning on Interstate 95 in Lantana.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the suspect, identified Thursday as Hugo Selva, 22, killed a woman in Lake Worth earlier in the morning, put her in his Nissan Rogue and drove away. About 15 minutes later, Bradshaw said, Selva got on I-95 and traveled south in the northbound lanes, causing three separate crashes.
Bradshaw said deputies and the Florida Highway Patrol arrived to find Selva in his wrecked SUV and ordered him out of the car. He said a trooper used a Taser gun on Selva, but that didn't work, so a deputy, in fear for his life, shot the suspect, killing him.
The 27-year-old woman who had been shot by Selva was removed from the SUV by deputies, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. She was also identified Thursday as Nicole Novak.
Social media posts indicated that Selva and Novak had been dating and were new parents.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Teri Barbera said investigators believe Selva was responsible for two other shootings Tuesday night in West Palm Beach and earlier Wednesday in Boynton Beach.
A man was injured in Tuesday's shooting at the Dutchman Motor Lodge on South Dixie Highway.
Boynton Beach police spokeswoman Stephanie Slater said there "is reason to believe" Selva was the suspect in Wednesday morning's shooting on Bentwood Circle. The 21-year-old victim in that shooting was identified Thursday as Anthony Fonti.
A clerk at My Neighborhood Grocery in Lake Worth said she saw Selva and Novak enter the store twice -- once at about 9 a.m. to buy cigarettes and again about 30 minutes later to get cash out of the ATM. The clerk said she heard a gunshot outside the store after the couple left the second time.
Witnesses said Selva threw Novak in the passenger seat of the SUV and drove away. Deputies later recovered the gun in the parking lot.
Bradshaw said the deputy involved in Wednesday's shooting wasn't injured. He has been placed on administrative leave as is standard protocol after a deputy-involved shooting.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the deputy-involved shooting, while deputies are investigating the Lake Worth shooting and the crashes on I-95.
I-95 was closed for several hours after the incident.