Police fatally shoot Conn. military museum chief
May 26, 2013, 8:36 PM
RIDGEFIELD, Conn. (AP) – The founder and president of a Connecticut military museum was shot and killed at his home by police after he pointed a handgun at officers, state police said Sunday.
State police identified the man killed Friday in Ridgefield as 75-year-old John Valluzzo.
Valluzzo was armed when Ridgefield police arrived at his home following a call about a possible domestic incident on Friday evening, state police said. He was shot after authorities said he refused to comply with orders to put the gun down and instead raised it on officers.
Valluzzo was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police have not identified the officer involved in the shooting.
The Hearst Connecticut Media Group reports Valluzzo was a decorated Korean War veteran and founded the Military Museum of Southern New England in 1995.
The museum called Valluzzo’s death at the start of the Memorial Day weekend a “senseless tragedy.”
“Sorrow fills our hearts at this sad moment,” the museum said on its website. “The news of the untimely death of John Valluzzo comes as a great shock to all who knew him. His departure was sudden, unexpected and particularly distressing.”
State police said Sunday they’re investigating the circumstances at the request of the Danbury state’s attorney and Ridgefield police.
An autopsy is planned for Valluzzo.
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