U.S. man fatally shoots masked son
NEW FAIRFIELD, Conn. — A fifth-grade teacher fatally shot a masked teenager in self-defence outside his neighbour’s house during what he thought was an attempted burglary, only to discover it was his son, state police said.
The killing of 15-year-old Tyler Giuliano shortly after midnight Thursday left his quiet Connecticut town of New Fairfield reeling in confusion and grief. The teen’s father, Jeffrey Giuliano, is a popular fifth-grade teacher in the community, where there is very little violent crime.
The neighbour, who is the teen’s aunt, was alone in her house and believed someone was breaking in.
She called the teenager’s father, who lives next door. He grabbed a gun, went outside, confronted someone wearing a black ski mask and black clothing and fired when the person went at him with a shiny weapon in his hand, police said.
When police arrived, the teen was lying in the driveway of the woman’s home with gunshot wounds and a knife in his hand. His father, in T-shirt and shorts, was sitting on the grass. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
An officer pulled back the ski mask. It was unclear if Jeffrey Giuliano already knew it was his son. It was also unclear if the teen was trying to burglarize the house or if it was some type of prank gone wrong.
“All in all it’s a tragedy,” state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said.
Jeffrey Giuliano hadn’t returned a message seeking comment on what happened. No one responded to knocks on the front door at his home or his sister’s. No charges have been filed. John Hodge, the top elected official of the town of nearly 14,000 people about 80 kilometres from New York City, doesn’t recall another killing in his eight years on the job. “You certainly don’t expect it to happen in your own small hometown where there’s very little crime.”
The Giuliano home has a threecar garage, with a long, circular driveway near the end of a street. A pumpkin was set out in front of the home for Halloween.