Elderly Fairfield Man Banned from Home After Woodchuck Incident

He is banned from his home until his tenants move out, police said.

An elderly man accused of shooting and killing a woodchuck in his garage on Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield, Connecticut, then pointing a gun at one of his tenants, is banned from his home until the tenants move, according to police.

When police arrived at 3840 Black Rock Turnpike/Route 58, they found a man, identified as William Hanford, 77, was wielding a gun, police said.

Authorities said he had pointed the gun at his tenant, who rents a separate apartment in the home, and threatened to shoot the tenant's cat.

Hanford said he wanted to shoot himself, and he refused to cooperate with officers who asked him to put the gun down, according to police.

Officers tackled Hanford and took him to the hospital for observation. Police said he was arrested and will be charged with several counts.

At the scene, police found the .22-caliber rifle and the dead woodchuck in the garage, which faces a heavily traveled street. A bullet casing was also on the ground near the animal's body.

Hanford lives by himself, but rents out a separate apartment in the house to a couple, police said.

Police said on Wednesday that they were waiting to obtain a search warrant so they could enter the home and remove any additional weapons that might be inside.

Hanford posted a $25,000 bond, police said. A protective order was issued, banning him from his home until his tenants move out in two days, police said.

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