HOLDERNESS — When David Petrell fired shots at the door of the Holderness Kingdom Hall and poured gasoline around the entrance, his goal was to commit suicide, according to a police affidavit filed in conjunction with his arrest.
Documents obtained from Grafton County Superior Court state that a “concerned friend” called the Holderness Police Department around 7 p.m. Friday to warn them that Petrell, 37, of Circle Drive, Ashland, was on his way to the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall at 10 East Holderness Road with the intention of killing himself.
The documents give the following account of events that led to Petrell's arrest:
Surveillance video at the place of worship captured Petrell firing at least one shot from his .380 LCP Ruger pistol into the air while in the parking lot, then firing at least three 12-gauge rounds from a Mossberg model 500 pump action shotgun into the entry door of the Kingdom Hall. He then poured gasoline on the door.
When Holderness Police Sgt. Michael Grier arrived with Officer Andrew Strickland, they met Meredith Sgt. Philip McLaughlin in the parking lot. The door of the Kingdom Hall was wide open, and there was an empty box of Mossberg shotgun shells in the back of Petrell’s Ford F-150 pickup truck, Grier stated in the probable cause affidavit.
After calling for backup, the two Holderness officers approached the entrance while McLaughlin covered the building, discovering a gas can at its perimeter.
Grier stated that he called for Petrell to surrender but could not make out what the man said in response. Later, after two other officers from Meredith arrived, Grier said he saw Petrell approach the entrance carrying a shotgun.
“I ordered him to drop the gun. He did so,” Grier reported. However, Petrell then reached for the gun. “I told him not to pick up the gun or he would be shot,” Grier wrote. “The male then stood up. … I holstered my weapon and slowly approached the male. Assisting officers continued to hold the male at gunpoint. When I was approximately five feet away I tackled the male to the ground and he was detained until Officer Strickland handcuffed the subject.”
As he was being taken away, Petrell allegedly said, “I own it all, I did it, I’m f----d.”
Grier said he detected a strong odor of alcohol as they were taking Petrell into custody. They also smelled a strong odor of gasoline in the building, so Grier called the Holderness Fire Department and turned off the furnace in the building.
Arraigned on Monday, Petrell entered not guilty pleas to charges of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, criminal mischief, driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, and arson to an occupied/historic structure.
The court set bail conditions that included ordering Petrell to have no contact with the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall, that he possess no firearms or dangerous weapons, not consume alcohol or narcotic drugs, that he sign a waiver of extradition, and that he undergo a mental health evaluation before his release.
The case is scheduled for a dispositional conference on June 8, with a final pretrial hearing on Aug. 26.
(1) comment
Rape cover-ups by Jehovah's Witnesses from NBC Dateline: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbKXj8R4_X8
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.