Police: Conn. man left home with 50-100 shotgun shells in alleged plan to kill nursing home workers

A Connecticut man faces numerous charges in connection with an incident in June 2023 when he allegedly set his house on fire before state police thwarted an alleged plot in which he said he had planned to kill multiple people at a nursing home in Killingly where his mother lived prior to her death.James Zigadlo, 39, of Ashford, was charged on July 19 with three counts each of attempted first-degree assault and attempted assault on a public safety officer as well as a single count of criminal use of a weapon, Connecticut State Police said in a statement Wednesday.Zigadlo has been in custody since June 12, 2023, when troopers found him in a wooded area in Plainfield with a shotgun and a rifle, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.State police were initially called to the Davis Place nursing home in Killingly just after 1 a.m. on a report of a suspicious vehicle spotted by an employee of the rehabilitation center, the warrant affidavit said. A trooper who responded found a Nissan Sentra in the parking lot with one person inside.As the trooper approached the vehicle, the driver reversed and nearly struck the trooper before driving quickly over a curb and fleeing, the warrant affidavit said. State police said the driver multiple times engaged troopers in a pursuit.At 3:49 a.m., fire crews from the Ashford Fire Department responded to a residence on Bicknell Road where Zigadlo and another family resided in the multi-family home. A neighbor of Zigadlo told authorities he found Zigadlo's apartment on fire and called 911, according to the warrant affidavit. He also confirmed Zigadlo drove a yellow Nissan Sentra.State police did not indicate in the warrant affidavit whether anyone was injured in the fire or how much damage it caused.Hours later, just before 5:45 a.m., members of the Plainfield Police Department found Zigadlo's Sentra with flat tires abandoned on Green Hollow Road, according to the warrant affidavit. A search of the vehicle turned up an empty firearm box, but neither of the two firearms registered to Zigadlo were inside, the warrant affidavit said.Believing Zigadlo was armed and dangerous, authorities searched the area but could not immediately find him. During the search, a bus driver flagged down police and reported seeing a man walking on Roper Road.Troopers responded to the area and spotted Zigadlo behind a tree, peering out at authorities, the warrant affidavit said. A trooper drew his weapon and ordered Zigadlo to show his hands and back up toward the sounds of his voice.State police said Zigadlo was compliant and was taken into custody. Behind the tree where he was initially spotted, troopers said they found a loaded shotgun and additional ammunition, the warrant affidavit said. They also found an unloaded rifle.Zigadlo agreed to speak to police while in custody. According to the warrant affidavit, he admitted to setting his home on fire using an air fryer and cardboard boxes. He also acknowledged that he "thought about" the other family living in the home, state police wrote.According to the warrant affidavit, Zigadlo told troopers after he set the fire he traveled to the Davis Place nursing home where he wanted to seek "revenge" on the workers, as he had claims about his mother. He allegedly told troopers he left his home with 50 to 100 shotgun shells and three dozen rifle cartridges with the intention of shooting multiple employees, the warrant affidavit said.Zigadlo told state police he struggled for about two hours in the parking lot with the thought that he would be taking people away from their families if he killed them, the warrant affidavit said. He also admitted that he planned on committing "suicide by cop" afterward and that he considered pointing a firearm at authorities when they spotted him in the woods, according to the warrant affidavit.While hiding in the woods, Zigadlo said he contacted his aunt and told her what happened, the warrant affidavit said. He asked if she could pick him up, but she told him he should turn himself in, state police wrote.He said he also tried contacting a taxi service but was unsuccessful, the warrant affidavit said.Zigadlo was arrested at the time and charged with assault on a public safety officer, interfering with police, attempt to commit assault on a public safety officer, attempted first-degree reckless endangerment, disobeying the signal of an officer, reckless driving and motor vehicle offenses.In August 2023, he was charged with first-degree arson of an occupied building and first-degree reckless endangerment for the fire at his home.Following his most recent charges filed earlier this month, Zigadlo remains held on bonds totaling just over $1.2 million. He is scheduled to appear in Danielson Superior Court on Aug. 30.