Police allege man attempted murder

#MiddleburyCT #MiddleburyPolice #DomesticViolence

Garrett P. Lang, center, is escorted to a cruiser by Middlebury Police Officers Eric Markiewicz, left, and Dan Gillotti, right, on August 15. Officers were transporting Lang to Waterbury Superior Court for a hearing on charges including alleged attempted murder. (Marjorie Needham photo)

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

After Middlebury police responded to a domestic violence 9-1-1 call Wednesday night, August 14, they filed a number of charges against Garrett P. Lang of Middlebury alleging, among other things, that Lang attempted to murder a female victim (victims’ names are withheld for their protection). He also was charged with criminal possession of a handgun, first degree threatening with a firearm, first degree reckless endangerment, third degree strangulation, having no pistol permit and negligent storage of firearms. Lang and the victim share a Middlebury home.

Police went to the address after the victim called 9-1-1. During the call, she walked into the kitchen, and she said Lang came up behind her and pressed what she believed to be the barrel of a .38 revolver to the back of her head. She believed he was going to kill her. She said he told her she “was done” and she heard the gun click but not discharge.

The incident began, she said, when he came home from work and kicked open the door to the bedroom, where she was lying down. He started arguing with her about her not having purchased garlic powder. She said the argument escalated, and at one point Lang grabbed her by the front of her throat and “pinched it,” an action that caused her to have a hoarse voice. She said he then removed his .38 revolver from the headboard and exited the bedroom.

Following the confrontation in the kitchen, the victim, still on the 9-1-1 call, retreated to the bathroom. She told officers she heard Lang exit the residence two times. She could tell when he exited because bells on the door ring when the door opens or closes.

Lang told officers there was no altercation between the two. He said she suffers from mental ailments, and she made up the whole incident. He further denied having any weapons, saying that he had pawned a .38 revolver a long time ago. He consented to a search of the residence.

An initial search for weapons yielded nothing but a single 12-gauge shotgun shell. However, the victim had told police Lang owned both a .38 revolver and a 12-gauge shotgun, so police requested an evidence recovery K-9 from the State Police. Trooper Troczyns and K-9 Odin responded, searched the residence, and found nothing.

They next moved outside the residence and, between a parked car and a green kayak in a driveway adjacent to the drive to Lang’s house, Odin found a silver Taurus .38 special loaded with five rounds, a Remington 870 Wingmaster pump action 12-gauge shotgun loaded with four shells, cases containing shotgun shells and .38 caliber bullets, and a shot gun shell holder.

Lang has no pistol permit and, because he was arrested and convicted of armed robbery in 1991, he is ineligible to possess any firearms.

Police had requested an ambulance for the victim. Middlebury Ambulance personnel responded and evaluated the victim. She refused medical transport and did not complain of physical injuries.

Lang, who had been handcuffed shortly after officers arrived on the scene, was transported to Police Headquarters, where he was processed and charged. His bail was set at $1 million, and he was held overnight for transport to family violence court in Waterbury Thursday, August 15.

An officer conducted a Lethality Assessment Program interview with the victim. Referred to as a LAP interview, this is a series of questions aimed at assessing the degree of risk to the safety of the victim. Following the assessment, officers suggested the victim speak with a domestic violence counselor, but she declined.