MILFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Milford Police say that an emotionally disturbed man who barricaded himself in an apartment complex on Friday morning has been found dead.
That man crashed his red BMW into a utility pole outside 25 High Street around midnight. Police responded to the crash, but found the driver, a man in his 50s, had left the car. He did not go far. He lived just upstairs in the Metro View apartments. So police went up to find him.
In #Milford, police say an emotionally disturbed person is barricaded in an apartment. High St. shut down at Green St. pic.twitter.com/IgyWjNtXC9
– Kent Pierce (@kentpierce8) November 17, 2017
“We were able to confirm he was in there. We made verbal contact,” said Officer Michael DeVito of the Milford Police Department. “He did respond to one of our, our first conversation with one of our officers, but after that, he went kind of quiet.”
Before the crash, the man was apparently talking to his sister, and he said to her something about possibly hurting himself. The sister was so concerned she actually drove to Milford from Mamaroneck, New York to talk to him.
Police have EDP who is barricaded in this apartment complex. Adjacent apartments were evacuated as a precaution. Heavy Police presence on scene.
– Milford CT PD (@MilfordCT_PD) November 17, 2017
The man was a registered gun owner, so as a precaution, police shut down High Street at Green Street, and Factory Lane at Helwig Street, not letting anyone near the building. In the meantime they tried to get the man to talk to them again.
“We tried canine entry, we tried robot entry, verbal contact,” Officer DeVito said. “All, were, for different reasons met unsuccessfully.”
With no options left, a five member Special Response Team knocked in the door, and found the man dead. Police would not confirm the cause of death, but it seemed to confirm his sister’s fears of suicide.
“We, in discussing with his sibling, and I guess just recently, there has been some indication,” said Officer DeVito. “This did not come as a complete surprise to her.”
Police would not confirm if he used the gun he owned, they simply said that was part of what now an ongoing investigation.
