Man Found Dead at Berlin Hotel Was Murdered: Police

The suspicious death at a Berlin hotel over the weekend has been ruled as a homicide, police said. 

Authorities said they were called to the Days Inn at 2387 Berlin Turnpike to investigate a death at 2:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Police have identified the victim as Pratikkumar Jagani, 25, of Berlin. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner ruled Jagani's death as a homicide by gunshot, state police said. 

No other victims were found at the hotel. 

People who said they knew Jagani said he was a good guy and hotel staff identified him as an employee who was working the front desk when he was killed.

An arrest warrant was obtained for Rahheem K. McDonald, of Waterbury. McDonald faces charges that include murder, criminal possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm without a permit and possession of a high capacity magazine. 

Police said he was driving on the Hartford Turnpike, hit another car and tried to run, but did not get far.

McDonald is currently in custody for unrelated charges. His bond for Jagani's murder was set at $2 million. 

One woman staying at the hotel, Sara Kammerman, of New Britain, said she was woken up by police at 2:30 a.m.

"We got woken up to SWAT banging on the door. A police officer with a gun to my face telling me to stay in my room, that everything was ok,” Kammerman said.

Police said SWAT team was called in after the victim was discovered to sweep the hotel and ensure there was no danger to the public.

“The officers when they arrived they located the deceased party, in order to make sure the scene was safe, in that it is a large structure with a lot of rooms, the SWAT team was called to do a protective sweep just to rule out any other safety issues,” said Sgt. Eric Haglund of the Connecticut State Police.

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