Michael Regalski, of Citrus Hills, found guilty of attempted murder, shooting teen

State Attorney's Office, Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit
Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter and Hernando counties

Citrus County, Florida - On Thursday, August 1, 2024, jurors found 66 year-old Michael Regalski, of Citrus Hills, Florida, guilty of all charges in an Inverness courtroom: three counts of attempted first degree murder with a firearm, one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle, and one count of tampering with physical evidence. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 19, 2024. Assistant State Attorneys Kaitlyn Mannis and Blake Shore prosecuted his case.

"The defendant's actions were not only reckless, but also a blatant disregard for human life," said State Attorney Bill Gladson, of Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit. "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 that occurred in April 2023, when Citrus County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a call for service regarding a shooting that had just occurred. When officials arrived at the scene, they located an adult and two juveniles on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV).

The victims told deputies that they were riding on the vehicle when they heard two loud noises and pulled over, initially thinking the vehicle was malfunctioning. While they were stopped, one of the juveniles felt pain in the lower abdominal area and reached down to find they were bleeding. First responders initiated medical care for the teen, who was airlifted to a hospital for treatment.

CCSO Major Crimes Detective Roscoe Watts responded to the scene and made contact with Regalski, whose home was slightly south of the incident location. Regalski told Detective Watts that he'd seen the three people on the ATV pass by his property while he was outside of his garage. He said he'd experienced issues with utility vehicles loudly passing by his property at all hours of the night. Regalski admitted that he'd fired his Glock 40-caliber handgun at the vehicle when he saw it passing by his property the last time, in an attempt to deter the riders from driving by his property. After he fired his handgun at the utility vehicle, Regalski told the detective, he secured his firearm inside his garage, then entered his residence to wash his clothing and take a shower. After the shower, Regalski told Detective Watts, he viewed his home's video surveillance of the incident, claiming that nothing was captured on the footage, then erased the footage of the incident. Regalski was arrested and booked into the Citrus County Detention Facility in Lecanto, Florida.