Police arrest suspect in shooting at state Capitol
Southington man allegedly fired shots at building in May
State police arrested a Southington man Tuesday on charges he fired gunshots into the state Capitol in Hartford on Memorial Day weekend.
Floyd Gollnick, 74, already was being held on charges from similar incidents in Southington and Bristol on the night of May 30. No one was hurt in those shootings, or earlier in the day in Hartford when Gollnick fired several rounds at the Capitol from the driver’s seat of his pickup truck parked on Capitol Avenue, police said.
An electrician discovered bullet holes the next day. On the building’s south side, one round hit an outdoor chandelier light and two others hit a transom window, according to an arrest warrant.
Video surveillance showed Gollnick’s pickup stopped in front of the Capitol for about 1 minute about 1:10 p.m. that Sunday, the warrant said.
Shotspotter recorded six possible gunshots fired in the area at the same time, police said.
Gollnick was charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment and first-degree criminal mischief. The warrant does not include any details about a motive in the shooting, but Brian Foley, a spokesman for the state police, has said Gollnick’s motives were “directly related to mental health issues.”
He was first arrested on May 30 on the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown after a police chase through several towns. Officers seized a .22-caliber rifle from the front passenger seat of Gollnick’s car, police have said. He was arraigned at an area hospital where he had been undergoing psychiatric evaluation, authorities said.
Police say Gollnick is responsible for shootings at 70 Meriden Ave. in Southington, offices for Hartford Healthcare; homes at 2344 Meriden-waterbury Turnpike and 376 North Star Drive in Southington; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 750 Meriden-waterbury Turnpike in Southington; Polumbo’s Service Center at 828 Meriden-waterbury Turnpike in Southington; and homes at 156 School St. and 216 Flanders Road in Bristol. Police have said all the locations have some connection to Gollnick.