East Hartford victim: Man told her he pistol whipped her because she laughed at him
Oct. 18—MANCHESTER — An East Hartford rooming house resident — who says a man repeatedly pistol whipped her Friday, fired a gun at her face but missed, then forced her to go to his room with him — said he told her he had hit her "because I keep laughing at him."
That's according to a written statement the woman gave to East Hartford police after the incident, which was made public Monday in Manchester Superior Court.
During the same incident, suspect Randolph L. Brown Jr., 29, is accused of firing shots through the door of the woman's room, hitting a man who was asking him to return $5 the man had handed to him. The male victim suffered a broken arm, authorities say.
SHOOTINGS, KIDNAPPING
DEFENDANT: Randolph L. Brown Jr., 29, who lived in the Church Corners Inn at 860 Main St. in East Hartford, where Friday's incidents took place
MAJOR CHARGES: Attempted murder, first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping
STATUS: Held on $1 million bond, due Nov. 4 in Hartford Superior Court
Brown — who lived in the Church Corners Inn at 860 Main St., where the incident took place — has no prior criminal record, a bail commissioner said in court Monday. But Judge Shiela M. Prats left Brown's bond unchanged at the $1 million set by police.
Brown, whose first name has also been spelled "Radolph" in official records, is facing nine charges in the incident, reported to police shortly before 1 p.m. Friday. The most serious are attempted murder, first-degree assault, and first-degree kidnapping,
At the request of public defender Mark Holmes, the judge directed prison authorities to keep Brown under a "mental health watch."
Officer Nicholas S. Palladino — a member of the East Hartford police tactical response team, who was present when Brown finally surrendered Friday — wrote in a report that Brown "appeared to be possibly under the influence of narcotics and/or suffering from mental illness."
The female victim told police that she, Brown, and two women had been in her apartment "drinking, smoking weed, and doing cocaine," when the women left her alone with Brown.
She said she and Brown argued and he approached her as she sat on her bed, pointed a gun at her face, and threatened to kill her. She said he hit her in the head with the barrel of the gun about four times, then pointed the gun at her face and fired, but missed.
Later on, she said, the male victim came to her apartment, trying to buy drugs from Brown. She said the man handed Brown $5 while standing in the hallway and that Brown took the money and shut the door in his face, saying the man owed him money.
The man kept asking for his money back, and the woman said she went to the door to tell him to leave because she knew Brown had a gun. She said Brown then pulled out his gun and fired at the door at least three times, after which the male victim ran away.
She said Brown told her they couldn't stay there and forced her to go to his apartment, keeping his hand on his gun as they went. She said he also took her phone.
When they got to his apartment, she said, he tried to kiss her and asked her to be his girlfriend.
"I decline and laugh at him," she continued. "Randolph stated that the reason he hit me with his gun was because I keep laughing at him."
She said Brown told her to stay in the room with him, then told her to lie down. About an hour later, she said, police knocked on the door, asking if she was inside.
She said Brown told her to shut up and pointed a gun toward the door but eventually walked into a closet with his gun. At that point, she said, she unlocked the main door to the apartment and walked out with her hands up.
Police reported that they subsequently sent pepper spray into the room and Brown surrendered. Brown declined to be interviewed by police, Detective Paul J. Sulzicki reported.
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