An 84-year-old Palm Bay man, William Nowak, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder after police say he shot his son in the face following a family dispute at the family home on Dec. 9.
According to a probable cause affidavit prepared by Detective Nicole Brown and reporting from Florida Today and ClickOrlando, deputies were dispatched just after 7:30 p.m. to a residence on the 1600 block of Hawksbill Street in Palm Bay, roughly 75 miles southeast of Orlando.
Google Maps1600 block of Hawksbill Street, where the shooting took place.
Nowak reportedly lived in the home with his 85-year-old wife, who was receiving in‑home hospice care, and a 62-year-old daughter with a disability. The affidavit and witness accounts say the confrontation began when Nowak told his son and daughter‑in‑law he was upset they had not visited over the weekend, despite the couple reportedly visiting weekly.
"Get out of my house or I’m going to shoot you,"
Witnesses allege Nowak made that threat during an argument, then went to his bedroom, retrieved a handgun and walked through the house. Officers say he passed the son's wife on the way to the kitchen and fired a shot that struck his son in the face. After the shot, witnesses described Nowak breaking into tears and repeatedly asking, "What just happened?"
Brevard County Sheriff's OfficeWilliam Novak
The victim was transported to a hospital and sedated. According to reporting, the bullet fragmented and remained lodged in his face and jaw. Nowak was also treated at a medical facility for high blood pressure around the time of his arrest.
Nowak was booked into the Brevard County Jail Complex in Sharpes, Florida, and charged with attempted murder. He made his first court appearance on Dec. 11, when a judge appointed a public defender and ordered he be held without bond. The case details were reported by Florida Today and ClickOrlando and summarized in a People article based on the affidavit prepared by Detective Nicole Brown.
