Roads were closed and people were evacuated when an Ellington man barricaded himself inside his home Saturday morning. After several tense hours, negotiators were finally able to convince the man to come out.
State police say the incident started when a man began firing a handgun outside this old farmhouse along Route 83 at 3:00 a.m.
“The disturbance involved a handgun being shot off in the yard among other factors that came into play in that particular disturbance,” said MAJ Michael Darcy, State Police Commander.
Darcy called this a possible domestic disturbance involving a despondent individual. Police said he barricaded himself inside one of the farmhouse’s two apartments. The town’s first selectman says the man’s girlfriend was able to escape. The people living next door were evacuated and residents in a nearby apartment complex were urged to shelter in place.
“From the time state police first arrived on scene they had no contact with this individual there were no shots fired,” said Darcy.
When state police were unable to make contact with the man, they called in a SWAT team which set up a perimeter around the home, shutting down Route 83.
“They’ve been patient talking with him and they just kept talking and talking to him,” said Lori Spielman, Ellington’s First Selectman.
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Spielman said she contacted the six businesses located within the closure to let them know that traffic would not be getting through.
After five hours, authorities said the situation ended peacefully.
“He exited the home and surrendered of his own volition. He was cooperative,” said Darcy.
Darcy said the man was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. He said investigators seized several firearms from inside the apartment, including handguns and long guns.
