Man kills masked teen, learns it's his son
NEW FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) — A small Connecticut town was sent reeling in grief and confusion Friday after a popular fifth-grade teacher shot and killed a knife-wielding prowler in a black ski mask, only to discover it was his 15-year-old son.
No immediate charges were brought against the father, Jeffrey Giuliano, in the slaying of his son, Tyler, who was gunned down in his aunt's driveway next door to his own home around 1 a.m. Thursday.
"It's something out of a Hollywood script," said John Hodge, the first selectman, or top elected official, in the town of nearly 14,000 people about 50 miles from New York city. He said he couldn't recall another killing in his eight years on the job.
State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said the boy had never been in trouble with the law, and some of those who knew him described him as a good kid with an easygoing personality. Investigators and acquaintances said they were at a loss to explain what he was doing outside dressed all in black and carrying a weapon.
"Certainly, that is the major question we are trying to answer at this point," Vance said.
State police said the shooting happened after Jeffrey Giuliano got a call from his sister next door saying that someone might be trying to break into her home in their neighborhood of attractive colonial-style houses. Giuliano grabbed a handgun and went outside to investigate, troopers said.
He confronted someone in a ski mask and opened fire when the person came at him with something shiny in his hand, police said.
When police officers arrived, Tyler was lying dead in the driveway with a knife in his hand, and his father, in T-shirt and shorts, was sitting on the grass. Detectives informed the elder Giuliano several hours later that he had shot his son, Vance said.
"All in all it's a tragedy," Vance said.
Police were investigating whether the father's gun was registered.
No one answered the door at Giuliano's home or his sister's.
Tyler was a student at New Fairfield High School and a Civil Air Patrol cadet. Some of those who knew him said he enjoyed spending time with his family and flying gliders and small planes. He was adopted by Giuliano and his wife a few years ago, friends said.
One classmate said many students were baffled by what happened.
"I just thought it was so weird when I heard because I knew Tyler, not very well, but he was just a sweet person and he always made everyone laugh. I met him in the chorus room, actually, and he just wasn't the type to do what happened," said Erin Pallas, 16. "So it didn't make sense to us. It doesn't make sense to the student body."
Brett Rasile, a 14-year-old friend, said he and Tyler were playing an online game called Minecraft while talking and laughing together via Skype until about 10 p.m. Wednesday, when Tyler said he had to go to bed. Brett said Tyler wasn't in any trouble that he knew of, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"Same old Tyler. He was perfectly fine," Brett said. "He didn't really leave any evidence, any hints towards what he would do."
Alicia Roy, New Fairfield superintendent of schools, said the elder Giuliano grew up in the town, holds summer music and zoology camps for his students and plays guitar in a local rock band that raises money for charity. He is affectionately known as "Mr. G" around Meeting House Hill School.
"He was the teacher you requested in the fifth grade. He was a great teacher. All the kids loved him," said Rosemary Rasile, Brett's mother.
Brian Wyckoff, 17, said Mr. G "was always walking around with a smile on his face. He always says hi to everyone."
The high school stayed open late to provide grief counseling for students and parents.
"The community is deeply saddened, and our hearts go out to all the family members," Roy said.
No immediate charges were brought against the father, Jeffrey Giuliano, in the slaying of his son, Tyler, who was gunned down in his aunt's driveway next door to his own home around 1 a.m. Thursday.
"It's something out of a Hollywood script," said John Hodge, the first selectman, or top elected official, in the town of nearly 14,000 people about 50 miles from New York city. He said he couldn't recall another killing in his eight years on the job.
State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said the boy had never been in trouble with the law, and some of those who knew him described him as a good kid with an easygoing personality. Investigators and acquaintances said they were at a loss to explain what he was doing outside dressed all in black and carrying a weapon.
"Certainly, that is the major question we are trying to answer at this point," Vance said.
State police said the shooting happened after Jeffrey Giuliano got a call from his sister next door saying that someone might be trying to break into her home in their neighborhood of attractive colonial-style houses. Giuliano grabbed a handgun and went outside to investigate, troopers said.
He confronted someone in a ski mask and opened fire when the person came at him with something shiny in his hand, police said.
When police officers arrived, Tyler was lying dead in the driveway with a knife in his hand, and his father, in T-shirt and shorts, was sitting on the grass. Detectives informed the elder Giuliano several hours later that he had shot his son, Vance said.
"All in all it's a tragedy," Vance said.
Police were investigating whether the father's gun was registered.
No one answered the door at Giuliano's home or his sister's.
Tyler was a student at New Fairfield High School and a Civil Air Patrol cadet. Some of those who knew him said he enjoyed spending time with his family and flying gliders and small planes. He was adopted by Giuliano and his wife a few years ago, friends said.
One classmate said many students were baffled by what happened.
"I just thought it was so weird when I heard because I knew Tyler, not very well, but he was just a sweet person and he always made everyone laugh. I met him in the chorus room, actually, and he just wasn't the type to do what happened," said Erin Pallas, 16. "So it didn't make sense to us. It doesn't make sense to the student body."
Brett Rasile, a 14-year-old friend, said he and Tyler were playing an online game called Minecraft while talking and laughing together via Skype until about 10 p.m. Wednesday, when Tyler said he had to go to bed. Brett said Tyler wasn't in any trouble that he knew of, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"Same old Tyler. He was perfectly fine," Brett said. "He didn't really leave any evidence, any hints towards what he would do."
Alicia Roy, New Fairfield superintendent of schools, said the elder Giuliano grew up in the town, holds summer music and zoology camps for his students and plays guitar in a local rock band that raises money for charity. He is affectionately known as "Mr. G" around Meeting House Hill School.
"He was the teacher you requested in the fifth grade. He was a great teacher. All the kids loved him," said Rosemary Rasile, Brett's mother.
Brian Wyckoff, 17, said Mr. G "was always walking around with a smile on his face. He always says hi to everyone."
The high school stayed open late to provide grief counseling for students and parents.
"The community is deeply saddened, and our hearts go out to all the family members," Roy said.
If the kid was adopted later in life, I wonder if he had issues before that point that may have carried over? Drugs maybe? A lot of foster families raise drug babies and such until they find families. Maybe he wanted into the aunt's house because she had something in the medicine cabinet...? That's pure speculation, of course. Either way, this is really a devastating story.
Obviously this kid had less than good intentions for some reason. What people appear to be outwardly and what they really are inside are sometimes worlds apart. At this point the father will suffer for the rest of his life for something that would in the moment be a natural survival response. It's always easy to know how some else should handle a situation, but then you have to wonder what you might do if faced with the same circumstances. Hard to know until you face the "what ifs" yourself. I really feel sorry for this family....this is truly a life sentence of the worst kind.
The Dad probably exaggerated about the lunging because he wanted to be sure the cops understood it was self defense.The boy was probably did it as a gag to scare his Aunt.
Guns are cool...
But, Guliano sh´dn´t be so swift with using a gun!, it w´d be a tragidy even toshoot some other person´s son, in the heart, for just coming at you with what you suspect to be a knife. Why not shoot him in the leg?
 Am not so shure if Guliano had no other choice but shooting to kill or he always wished he used his gun to take a life!
 Though it´s a tragedy!
@Mkss When you fear for your life, you shoot for center mass. Aiming for a smaller area (such as a leg) gives you a higher chance of missing. "Aim small, miss big".
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If the police and military shot to disable rather than kill, we'd have a lot more police and military funerals.
Wow. This story is so sad and bizzare. I feel for the father. Would like to know more of what was going on.
I wonder if we will ever know why this boy was breaking into his aunt's house with a knife. It has also been mentioned that the son lunged at his father with a knife???  As incredibly sad as this is, the boy's father may have saved the Aunt's life. It's a nightmare to ever consider being placed in that situation... pick your sister or you child? He didn't have to face that reality until the decision had been made. There are so many unknown variables here. The boy was adopted later in his life which makes you wonder if he had serious challenges that led to this... it's not fair to assume that was the case. God be with this family.
How devastating for the father and the family. I hope that they get the answers they need during this investigation however I don't think it will help. I couldn't imagine being in that man's shoes. Heartbreaking.
"No one answered the door at Giuliano's home or his sister's...SERIOUSLY? How dare a reporter even CONSIDER knocking on the door of people who are actively in the middle of a horrible situation. No wonder the rest of us think reporters just go too far and are just too insensitive. Shame on whomever it was
 @GetOverYourself Do you think the news writes itself? Like they just put out a blank piece of paper and suddenly a story jumps on it? NO moron, they do things called "interviews" to get stories.Â
@PackersCougsBravesSounders @GetOverYourself -- Yeah, the news doesn't write itself but for God's sake, the news can wait while these people grieve. Someone's article does not take precedence over common courtesy or even common sense...
@PackersCougsBravesSounders @GetOverYourself Well... Knowing the local news media here, the news sometimes writes itself. Maybe throw in a biased slant too.
It was probably that dang game Minecraft that made him do it... (JK by the way)
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Such a tragic end to a life :(... RIP and I feel sorry for the dad.
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 @wysoumible You're a real piece of crap.
@KittySmasher @wysoumible He knows it. It's the only way some people can get attention. It's quite pathetic, really.
 @wysoumible And what about ski mask wearing knife-crazed idiots?
"Police were investigating whether the father's gun was registered."
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Gun registration is not a law, not a requirement, but this ignorant statement makes it sounds as though it is.
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Police might be investigating to determine if the gun was legally possessed, and if its use was lawful; but no registration is required.
 @newspuppy As liberal as Connecticut is, I'm sure it is required. I agree though, so many people throw that around without knowing if it's the law or not.
 @newspuppy I am pretty sure in some states, it is the law to register all firm arms. Not in WA.
Tragic how one decision puts into motion a series of actions that ends with a father shooting and killing his son. Â Seems unreal and better suited for a Final Destination type movie.
Intelligent government don't you learn lesson, now its time for gun restriction !!
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@derek j ...don't be an idiot.
 @TreeTopFlyer  @derek Seriously. Derek, for all we know, the dad may have ended up stabbed to death had he not had the gun to protect himself. It's too soon to speculate.
I'm doubtful this was a prank-more like this kid saw something in his Aunt's home that he wanted for who knows what reason. At that age he should have been at home in bed sleeping not out, wearing all black with a weapon. I feel badly for all involved.
 @izwideopen Yeah, it's very strange that he didn't just come knock on the front door. And why come armed if he was just going to steal something? He was prepared to fight for some reason. This whole thing is so strange. We should know more in a couple days.
This makes no sense. Squadron requiements in the Civil Air Patrol vary from unit to unit, but overall are pretty strict. Cadets must meet criteria of grades, discipline, and physical fitness. O-flights sure aren't given out like candy and usually the best cadets get the most stick and rudder time.
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Just a sad story all around.
 @Howard Beale Might want to check the headline?
 @Elvis Might want to actually read the story and not just the headline.
 @Elvis  @Howard Beale Oh Howard you've gone astray.
 @newsie  @Jill  @Elvis  @Howard Beale Sorry! I missed that.
 @Jill  @Elvis  @Howard Beale "Howard Beale" is referring to this statement in the article:  "Tyler was a student at New Fairfield High School and a Civil Air Patrol cadet."Â
KOMO is kinda slow on the updates. The kid lunged at the dad with a knife.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/conn-teen-killed-dad-apparent-break-in-clutching-a-knife-police-article-1.1170560
Problem solved. Thank guns.
Every day. Was your dad's name Garry?
"It was also unclear if he was actually trying to burglarize the house or if it was some type of prank gone wrong." I would hate to think it was a prank. You think pulling a prank like that is very smart and funny? A definite no no!
Tyler Giuliano, wearing a black mask and clutching a knife, was apparently breaking into his auntâs home next door when he was gunned down by his dad early Thursday. update .
Not a prank. dumb kid and to go at his dad. still sad any way you look at it.
Why would you call your neighbor, instead of 911?
 @northwestsurfer I would. My neighbor is going to be faster... especially if it was my brother. When seconds count, your local law enfocement is only minutes away.
 @northwestsurfer Also, her brother lived next door and could respond much quicker than police in that situation.
 @northwestsurfer It was her brother
"Jeffrey Giuliano hasn't returned a message seeking comment on what happened."
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Really??? Why would they try calling him when he just tragically shot his own son? Some people have no consideration for others!
To all the pro gun advocates who claim using a gun in self defense works - does it?
Yup it does as proven in this case. Unfortunatly it was the mans son. So you would just sit back and do nothing if someone was lunging at you with a mask on and knife in hand? Asinine comment you made there.
 @Anarchy It seems to have in this case, if indeed he was being threatened with a knife.
@MC If he indeed was threatened, then I understand. But why wouldn't the daugher call the police. I wonder if her and the son had a conspiracy to get the dad. Something doesn't add up.
@Anarchy you must be a city slicker idiot its the person behind the gun and i suppose spoons and forks made you fat....
@Tyler Tenneson And it was McDonald's that made me fat. Get it straight. Also, before calling me an idiot, maybe learn how to write a sentence.
 @Anarchy   Do you two know each other? sounds as if you might.
@Tyler Tenneson HAHA. Nice comeback. I suppose calling the police was out of the question?
 @Anarchy  @DarkParty from dialing 911 to police arriving can take 15+ minutes. Your brother coming over to check things out takes less than a minute.
@DarkParty Who called? It says the daughter called the dad. Why didn't she call the police?
 @Anarchy  Obviously someone did call the police, They showed up too late.
There is a chance he was trying to break into the house, and he did come at his adopted father with some kind of weapon. There is a lot of family on family crime out there and he is not a blood relative apparently.  It very well could have been self defense since again he was coming towards him with a weapon.
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Two members of my family are dead at the hands of someone who married into it.
 @Anarchy What if it had been someone other than his son?
 @DarkParty  @Anarchy It wasn't and if the person was coming toward him...could he have made a different choice if he didn't have a gun?
@Koawoodplayer Not true. There are many reports of people with firearms defending themselves. Do a search on: "The Armed Citizen" and you'll see stories where people have protected themselves. It's that the liberal news media hides or doesn't report positive outcomes with a firearm.
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@Alexa @DarkParty @Anarchy More than enough reason to have a gun. Wouldn't you protect your own family members? I would. When seconds count, the police are minutes away. Most of the time they're only there to respond to a crime that has happened. My friend who is a police officer says that usually they're there to investigate the mess; not prevent it. They can't get there in time. The father did the right things in protecting himself and his family. If the son lunged at the police with a knife, they would have shot him too. Does that mean we disarm the police because they killed a kid?
 @Alexa  @DarkParty  @Anarchy Had he not had a gun this story probably reads, son stabs father to death.
 @Alexa  @DarkParty  @Anarchy And, we could be reading how a lady was killed by her adopted nephew during a burglary and sexual assault gone wrong... which do you prefer? Â
 @Koawoodplayer Perhaps you have heard the phrase "when seconds count, the police are only minutes away." Many are the 911 operators that have heard tragedy occur when the police couldn't get there in time. There have also been poor 911 personnel that have handled immediate threat calls poorly and no assistance was rendered. I'm sorry, but people have the right to protect themselves, the constitution gives us that right. You are free to not own a weapon or to go to a country that does not allow it, but banning guns is not the answer.
@DarkParty @Alexa @Anarchy This has always been my fear and hence the reason I haven't purchased a gun. You just never know who you might shoot in a moment of fear or panic. There was another story earlier this year where someone shot their own relative who came into their house. People and guns don't mix well. I think owning a gun gives someone a false sense of power and an edgy temperament, ready to take down whoever they think is intruding into their homes or space.
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Calling 911 is the wisest thing to do. If someone comes into your home and tries to do you harm, then I can see reacting in self defense. Still, more times than not, I bet innocent lives are lost vs. taking down an actual criminal (not one you perceive as a criminal) b/c someone panicked with a gun. Think about it.
@Alexa - and then the cops would have shot him and killed him.
 @Alexa  @Anarchy You can keep your anti-gun agenda, I'll keep my guns.
 @DarkParty  @Anarchy Well another reason not to have a gun then. He would have made a better choice and called 911.
 @Alexa  @Anarchy Guessing he would not have gone out there without a gun, hence the reason he grabbed the gun.
@DarkParty @Anarchy.... everybody has the right to protect themselves. Even if this wasn't his own son, it would have been somebody's son :( Not saying that breaking into someone's home is the right thing to do, but neither is shooting a person with intent to end their life.
 @Chrystal L  @DarkParty "...neither is shooting a person with intent to end their life."  Where did it say he intended to end this kid's life?  The kid attacked him with a knife, he fired in self-defense to stop the threat.  The end result was the kid died but that probably wasn't his intent.  You are contradicting yourself - you say "everyone has the right to protect themselves."  Which is it?  Sometimes protecting yourself may result in another person's death, it's unfortunate, but it is reality.  Or do you feel you have a right to protect yourself just a little bit? Â
@Chrystal LÂ Your comment lacks real world perspective. You can live by that code but don't expect many other people to. People defend themselves.
 @Anarchy sure thing, he did eliminate his son in a middle of prank.
We should have more guns obviously