A man who investigators say went on a two-day shooting spree had a violent past, recently released court documents show.
Hugo Selva’s grandmother filed a domestic violence injunction against Selva, alleging he threatened to kill her. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that Selva was behind three shootings in Palm Beach County, leaving one dead and two injured.
“Hugo had a butcher knife in his hand and threatened to kill me and [his sister] and then himself,” Selva’s grandmother wrote in a statement to officials.
In the restraining order filed in Dec. 2016, Selva’s grandmother said he had a drug and alcohol problem. State records indicate that Selva did not have a criminal history.
Law enforcement said Selva, 22, of Boynton Beach, shot and killed Nicole Novak, 26, of Merritt Island, in a Lake Worth shopping plaza. Selva was shot and killed by a PBSO deputy after driving the wrong way on I-95 and causing several wrecks.
“He comes to my home uninvited with his girlfriend Nicole Novak usually when I’m alone and they threaten me,” Selva’s grandmother wrote.
She said Selva took her phone to stop her from calling the police. She eventually filed a report with police after a friend encouraged her to do so, records state.
State records show Novak served nearly three years in prison for burglary and drug charges.
A Palm Beach County judge granted the restraining order and extended it. It appears the order was expired at the time of the shooting.
Boynton Beach police reported Selva shot 21-year-old Anthony Fonti early Wednesday morning.
He’s also tied to a West Palm Beach shooting on Tuesday afternoon that injured Charles Brown Jr., 32, of Boynton Beach.
“Hugo’s behavior and threats are escalating,” Selva’s grandmother wrote. “He has become more demanding and forceful.”
