CT man, 74, accused of shooting spree, leading police on pursuit
SOUTHINGTON, CT June 2 2021 A man is accused of shooting at buildings and homes in Southington, then leading police on a pursuit into Portland.
Police are saying this was some sort of revenge spree.
A man is accused of shooting at buildings and homes in Southington, then leading police on a pursuit into Portland.
The suspect was identified as Douglas Floyd Gollnick, 74, of Plantsville. He remained in the hospital as of Monday morning.
Southington police spoke about it shortly after noon. They revealed that all of the six locations he allegedly shot at involved people with which he had a grievance.
“All the locations, there is some connection to the suspect. However, I guess the positive side to that is this isn’t random. He singled out people that he knew. The connection is not the same in all locations,” Southington Police Lt. Keith Egan said.
Incidents are also investigated in both Bristol and Cromwell.
According to Lt. Keith Egan, officers received a report around 6:45 p.m. Sunday from the homeowner of 2344 Meriden-Waterbury Rd. in Southington who said that 16 shots had been fired at their residence.
About a half hour later, a resident at 376 North Star Dr. called police to say that four or five shots had been fired at that person’s home as well.
Around 7:40 p.m., officers were notified of a “glass break” that occurred at the Hartford HealthCare group on Meriden Avenue.
Just before 9 p.m., a church member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints said that an unspecified, but similar incident had occurred at their Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike location.
Police later revealed that two additional properties were reportedly shot at on School Street and Flanders Road. On School Street, police said the bullets entered a bedroom.
“I can tell you one was a church, so there was a church connection there. I understand he has a history of collecting cars or some car connection with one of them, so it doesn’t appear to be anything specific,” explained Lt. Egan.
A pursuit that spanned several communities came to a conclusion Sunday night.
“It’s crazy. This is such a low key neighborhood, a residential neighborhood, a lot of kids, and to think that somebody was doing that, it’s crazy. It’s scary, very scary,” Southington resident Meg Perillo said.
When officers arrived on Meriden Avenue scene, they said they observed a suspect that matched the description of the person involved in a shooting that happened earlier in Bristol standing outside of a black Chevy Silverado that was parked in the back of the building.
The man, described as a white male wearing a yellow t-shirt and blue jeans, had the passenger side door open and was carrying a long rifle in his hands.
While officers began to establish a perimeter around the building, they heard several shots being fired from the man’s location.
Shortly after, investigators saw the Silverado take off onto Meriden Avenue and immediately pursued him.
The pursuit took police down Old Turnpike Road and onto Interstate 691.
Middletown police said that the suspect hopped off in Middlefield and continued heading east to Washington Street in Middletown.
Authorities deployed stop sticks to try and prevent the driver from going any further, but he continued through and onto Main Street, eventually making his way onto the Arrigoni Bridge.
The vehicle eventually came to a stop after a Southington officer in pursuit forced the Silverado off the roadway towards the Portland end of the bridge.
The suspect, later identified as Gollnick, was taken into custody and transported to New Britain Hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Police seized a .22 caliber long rifle from Gollnick’s possession. A pistol was also recovered.
No other injuries were reported.
Lt. Egan said that two Southington cruisers were damaged during the pursuit.
The incident closed down the Arrigoni Bridge in both directions for a brief period.
The vehicle in question was towed back to the Southington Police Department.
Police were able to identify Gollnick thanks to Ring doorbell from one of the homes he targeted.
“Ring cameras are great. It was a perfect video. There was no question about it, as far as the video, that it was him,” Lt. Egan says.
Authorities later determined that he was indeed the person involved in the Meriden Avenue shooting and is suspected in the other shootings in town.
According to police, both the Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike and North Star Drive locations were occupied at the time of the shootings; however, no injuries were reported.
As of Monday morning, Gollnick was expected to be charged with criminal attempt at first-degree assault, unlawful discharge, reckless endangerment, criminal use of a firearm, first-degree criminal mischief, interfering with an officer and engaging in a pursuit for two of the incidents.
Gollnick is currently in the hospital undergoing a psychological evaluation.
As police continue to investigate the other incidents, they said to expect more charges.
WFSB
