Charges Filed In Mansfield Police-Involved Shooting Case

MANSFIELD, CT — A Mansfield man was formally charged late Thursday morning with criminal attempt to commit murder and several other crimes, in connection with a police-involved shooting incident in mid-December.

Around 11:30 a.m., Western District Major Crime Detectives arrested David Rawlinson, 64, of 434 Storrs Road, Mansfield on two active arrest warrants.

Rawlinson has been recovering at a local hospital following the Dec. 19, 2017 shooting incident. He was arraigned by Rockville Superior Court personnel and remanded into custody of the Department of Correction, as he was unable to post the court-set $5,150,000 bail.

According to an affidavit supporting Rawlinson's arrest, a witness called police at 7:35 p.m. on Dec. 19, saying Rawlinson was involved in a domestic assault with a 55-year-old woman. The caller said Rawlinson was loading a shotgun, threatening to kill another woman because of posts she had made about him on Facebook.

The caller said the 55-year-old woman wrested the shotgun away from Rawlinson, so he struck her and state he would shoot any police officers that responded, the affidavit states.

Upon arrival of troopers from Troop C in Tolland, Rawlinson was seen fleeing the home in a vehicle. After a brief pursuit, he pulled into a business parking lot and rammed his vehicle into a trooper's vehicle, pinning and injuring the trooper, the affidavit states.

Rawlinson fired several shots, and gunfire was returned by responding troopers, striking Rawlinson. He was then taken into custody and administered first aid for his wounds, according to the affidavit.

He is charged with disorderly conduct, third-degree assault and second-degree threatening in connection with the domestic disturbance at his home. The confrontation with troopers brought him charges of assault on public safety personnel, three counts of criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault, three counts of criminal attempt to commit murder with special circumstances and two counts of criminal attempt to assault public safety personnel.

Photo courtesy of Connecticut State Police