Workplace shooting suspect says gun fired by accident
Man says he was trying to scare boss at South Windsor industrial park
The Springfield man who fired his gun in a South Windsor industrial park Tuesday, wounding two men — including a relative who is his supervisor — said the gun discharged by accident and he only meant to scare his boss, according to an arrest warrant released Thursday.
Alan Rosario, 33, told police he was trying to grab his boss from the driver’s seat of a semi that had two passengers, the warrant said. One was a brand-new employee who ended up being cut under his eye by a projectile.
Rosario was charged with second-degree assault with a firearm, unlawful discharge of a firearm, third-degree assault, f i r s t - degree t hreatening and first-degree reckless endangerment.
Police wrote in the warrant that the latter charge stemmed from the fact he “recklessly engaged in conduct that put three parties at risk of serious physical injury.”
During Rosario’s arraignment via video feed in Superior Court in Rockville on Thursday, his bail was reduced from $250,000 to $175,000. Judge Hope Seeley ordered that if he posts bond, he be under house arrest and monitored electronically.
Court staff said the father of three has no criminal record, and his lawyer, Elton Williams, said the incident is an aberration.
Rosario has been living with the same womanfor17 years, Williams told the court, and in addition to their daughter, 14, and sons, ages 12 and 8, he and his common-law wife have been foster parents.
Rosario, who has a commercial driver’s license and a pistol permit, had planned a career in law enforcement but got sidetracked when he had to care for his aging grandfather, Williams said.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Rosario told detectives he is a hard-working man who has never been in trouble before. He said his supervisor has been “taking advantage of him for years and assigning him older trucks that do not work.” The warrant doesn’t include the boss’ name or say how he and Rosario are