Manchester Home Invasion Suspect Takes Own Life After Windham Chase

WINDHAM/MANCHESTER, CT — A suspect in a Manchester home invasion appears to have taken his own life after a violent encounter in Manchester and subsequent incident in Windham, state police said.

At 5:01 p.m. Tuesday, state police out of Troop K in Colchester responded to a larceny in the area of 338 Windham Center Road in Windham. The suspect was seen fleeing the scene in a box truck, according to a state police report.

Manchester police had already notified Troop K that a man involved in a home invasion on Oakland Street was possibly located in Windham. Manchester police said a gun was taken from a home on the 100 block of Oakland Street during the local incident.

State police said the box truck was located and the suspect had fled on foot.

Troopers then responded to the area of 605 Jerusalem Road in Windham and were attempting to make contact with the homeowner when the suspect fled the residence into a wooded area, according to a state police report.

State police said troopers pursued the suspect on foot, and, during the chase, the suspect fired multiple rounds at them. As the Troopers approached the suspect, he was suffering from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, according to a state police report.

Lifesaving efforts on the part of troopers were unsuccessful and the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a state police report.

The suspect was identified as 46-year-old Rye Shashok. Authorities confirmed that Shashok was also the suspect from the Manchester home invasion.

The state police Central District Major Crimes Squad has assumed the investigation. There were no reported injuries to troopers involved at the scene, state police said.

Manchester police said the home invasion took place at 197 Oakland Street. Shashok is related to the owner of the home, police said.

The owner stated that she had not had a conversation with Shashok in "a couple of years," police. said. Shashok broke into the home while the owner was away, police said.

The owner had made arrangements to meet her boyfriend at the home at about 2 p.m., in order to drive to an appointment together. The boyfriend arrived and encountered Shashok, who was holding a knife inside the residence, according to an incident report.

The boyfriend pulled out a handgun, that he was legally carrying, as Shashok lunged at him, police said. Shashok struck the boyfriend in the face with his elbow and a struggle ensued over the handgun, which Shashok was able to grab from the boyfriend, according to an incident report.

Shashok forced the boyfriend to sit in a chair and tied his hands behind his back, police said, and began blaming the boyfriend for the homeowner "abandoning him," according to an incident report.

Shashok was tying the boyfriend's legs to the chair when the homeowner arrived and the boyfriend yelled at her to flee, according to an incident report. Shashok chased after her but the woman was able to hide in a neighbor's residence and contact Manchester Police, according to an incident report.

Shashok returned to the home a short time later, pointed the gun at the boyfriend and the boyfriend shouted, "you don’t want to do that," prompting Shashok to flee on foot, according to an incident report.

The boyfriend was able to free himself from the chair, police said.

At about 5 p.m. Manchester Police received the information that a vehicle associated with a relative of Shashok had been stolen in Windham. Manchester Police then contacted State Police and advised them of the home invasion, according to an incident report.