A man who was airlifted to Yale New Haven Hospital after a brutal assault outside of a recovery center in Groton on Monday has died, police said on Wednesday.
Around 10:34 a.m. on Monday, officers were dispatched to the Stonington Institute at 618 Poquonnock Road for the report of an assault that had taken place in the parking lot, according to the Groton Police Department.
Officers located an unconscious man, later identified as 46-year-old Gerson Chiluisa of Bridgeport, on the ground, police said.
The first responding officers at the scene provided medical aid to Chiluisa until the arrival of emergency personnel from Groton Ambulance, Poquonnock Bridge Fire Department and Yale New Haven medics, according to police.
Chiluisa was transported to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London and later airlifted to Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven for serious head injuries, police said.
According to police, Chiluisa was pronounced dead on Tuesday around 6:19 p.m. at Yale New Haven Hospital. An autopsy was performed on Wednesday at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington where the cause of death was certified as “blunt force injury of head” and the manner of death was certified as homicide, police said.
Officers quickly identified 31-year-old Antwan T. Strickland of Hartford as the suspect, according to police. He was located in front of a neighboring business on Poquonnock Road on Monday morning and taken into custody around 11:30 a.m. without incident, police said.
An investigation revealed that Strickland allegedly confronted Chiluisa and hit him, causing Chiluisa to fall to the ground, according to police.
Strickland was transported to the Groton Police Department headquarters where he was processed and charged with first-degree assault and second-degree breach of peace. He was being held on a $750,000 bond and was arraigned in New London on Tuesday, police said. According to police, the Superior Court “will address any substitution of charges as appropriate for this case at a date to be determined.”
The Groton Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division is conducting the ongoing investigation. Anyone with information about the assault is asked to contact the Groton Police Department at 860-441-6712.