Police: Oxford Shooting Suspect Attempting Suicide When Arrested

A state-wide manhunt for the suspect in the shooting of two women in Oxford early Wednesday morning ended after police found 46-year-old Scott Gellatly behind the wheel of a stolen car, apparently attempting to commit suicide.

According to a release issued by Connecticut State Police Wednesday afternoon [see below], officers received a 9-1-1 call about an estranged husband attempting to break into a home on Sioux Drive at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Police arrived to discover two women critically injured: the woman who called 9-1-1, Lori Gellatly, who was later pronounced dead at Waterbury Hospital; and homeowner Mary Jackson, who remains in serious but stable condition at St. Mary’s Hospital.

Scott Gellatly had reportedly fled the scene in a Ford Escape but later stole a black Toyota Tacoma while evading police for much of the morning.

After receiving a tip around 11:30 a.m., police found Gellatly in the Tacoma, parked on the side of Route 8 in Winsted, where he appeared to be attempting suicide.

He was transported to a hospital in Torrington, where he remains under guard.

Police charged Gellatly with murder and attempted murder, as well as a litany of other charges, including assault in the first degree, larceny of a motor vehicle, two counts of reckless endangerment and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.

While police have not released a possible motive, and say they are continuing to investigate, Gellatly was publicly struggling to deal with issues in their marriage.

State police issued the following release Wednesday afternoon:

On May 7, 2014, at approximately 5:30 a.m., State Police received a 911 call from a resident on Sioux Drive in Oxford who stated that her estranged husband was attempting to break into her home. When police arrived, they found two women suffering from gunshot wounds: Lori Gellatly, 32, and Mary Jackson (DOB unknown).   

Gellatly was transferred immediately to Waterbury Hospital where she was later pronounced deceased. Mary was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital, where she is in serious but stable condition.

The suspect in the shooting stole a motor vehicle from the Oxford residence and fled the scene. He drove about 1 mile and stole another motor vehicle.

The State Police notified local and federal law enforcement statewide and up and down the Eastern Seaboard. State Police interviewed neighbors and family members to gain information regarding the suspect and relayed information to the media.

At about 11:30 a.m., an individual in Winsted located a suspicious motor vehicle that matched the description of the wanted suspect. Winsted Police and State Police converged on the vehicle. They found the suspect had rigged a hose from the vehicle’s exhaust into the interior of the vehicle.  

Troopers and officers forced entry into the vehicle and took the suspect to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington. The suspect is under police guard at the hospital.

State Police detectives remain at the Oxford residence, processing the scene for evidence.  

The suspect has been identified as Scott Gellatly, 46.

Scott Gellatly has been charged with murder, attempted murder, larceny of a motor vehicle, assault in first degree on elderly person, two counts of reckless endangerment and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.  

The suspect is being held on $2 million bond. He will be arraigned in Derby Superior Court on Thursday, May 8.
 
The State Police investigation is continuing.