In the early morning hours of July 2, 2017, a tragedy unfolded at the Days Inn on the Berlin Turnpike in Berlin, Connecticut, ending the life of 25-year-old Pratikkumar Jagani. Jagani, a male motel clerk, was found by police behind the front desk with a fatal gunshot wound. The discovery was made after officers responded to the motel for a report of suspicious activity around 2:30 a.m.
An autopsy later confirmed that Jagani's death was a homicide caused by a gunshot.
The investigation quickly led authorities to a suspect, Rahheem K. McDonald of Waterbury. McDonald had been staying at the motel and, according to his own account to investigators, was under the influence of PCP. He claimed to be paranoid, believing that people were trying to kill him and that a prostitute he had been with had set him up. In his paranoid state, McDonald approached Jagani at the front desk, asking him to call 911 because he believed armed individuals were in the parking lot. When Jagani allegedly refused, McDonald concluded that the young clerk was part of the conspiracy against him.
Surveillance footage from the motel captured the moments leading up to the fatal encounter. McDonald, wearing only his boxer shorts, was seen in the lobby interacting with two young boys, ages 13 and 2, who were there to get milk. He reportedly told them to go to his room, which prompted an initial police response for a possible child abduction. After the children left the lobby, the footage shows McDonald having a brief conversation with Jagani, then returning and shooting him. McDonald fled the scene but was apprehended shortly after in North Haven following a car crash that injured two people. He was subsequently charged with murder, criminal possession of a firearm, and other offenses. At his arraignment, a judge set his bond at $2 million, noting his extensive criminal history.
