Community Corner

Southington Man Remains Hospitalized After Plainville Shooting

Officers with the Southington Police Department continue to guard Eric Gothberg as he receives treatment after being shot in the foot during an incident outside the AMC Theater in Plainville.

An East Street man remains at Hartford Hospital with a gunshot wound in his foot and two Plainville officers are home on leave recovering from injuries following an incident that led police to fire shots outside the AMC Theater in Plainville early Saturday.

Eric Gothberg, 45, was arrested following the incident but has not been booked on the charge yet because he remains under medical care said Southington Police Sgt. Lowell DePalma.

“Our officers are waiting by his room and as soon as he is released from the hospital, we will take him in for processing,” DePalma said. “Our detectives are continuing their investigation.”

DePalma said police obtained a warrant for Gothberg after receiving information that he had videotaped a minor in sexual acts earlier this year. The minor was a Southington resident known to Gothberg, police said, and sufficient evidence was found to obtain a warrant.

The age and gender of the minor were not released.

Gothberg will face one charge of third-degree possession of child pornography and could also be booked on additional charges as a result of the incident.

Plainville officers Clifford J. Roper and David Slater were each treated at St. Francis Hospital for injuries suffered outside the theater on New Britain Avenue but have since been released, state police confirmed Monday.

State police said officers had learned Gothberg, of 1309 East St., was attending the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 late Friday night and officers attempted to arrest him at 2 a.m. when the movie let out.

When Plainville Sgt. Timothy Mullaney and Cpl. Jon Eno attempted to arrest him, however, Gothberg instead resisted and reached toward his waistline, leading the officers to fire at the suspect.

Gothberg was hit in the foot and the fire ricocheted, hitting Roper in the forearm and breaking car glass that cut Slater, State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance said in a press release.

Police did not find a weapon on Gothberg following the incident, state police said. Their investigation is ongoing.

DePalma said Southington detectives had gone to Plainville to detain Gothberg prior to the incident, but were not directly involved in the shooting.

“We don’t know if they were there and or if they had witnessed anything, but they weren’t involved,” he said.

Gothberg will be held on a $500,000 bond following his booking, police confirmed, but could be processed and arraigned at Hartford Hospital, DePalma said Monday.

Court records showed Monday that Gothberg did not have a criminal record prior to his arrest Saturday. DePalma said further details of the arrest could be released once Gothberg is processed.


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