More than a month after a fatal shooting on Ridgebury Road, the state police’s investigation continues, with little new information.
State police Captain Thomas Garbedian said the case is ongoing in the Western District Major Crime Squad unit, but would not issue any further comment.
Capt. Garbedian is filling in for Lt. Paul Vance, who has been the public information officer assigned to the investigation, and is on vacation.
The state police’s search warrant application, which was unsealed on June 12, revealed that four Ridgefield police officers responded, two shots were fired and the victim, who was armed, was shot inside his home.
In addition, the document states one of four responding officers, Officer Jorge Romero, fired two shots from his gun, striking the victim in the torso.
In a previous statement, Lt. Vance stated Ridgefield officers received an emergency call around 5:15 p.m, responding to a domestic incident. When they arrived, “they confronted a male subject in the yard of the residence,” who was armed with a handgun.
Lt. Vance said that Officer Romero fired his weapon after Mr. Valluzzo refused to drop his gun and “raised the weapon towards the officers.”
According to the affidavit, police saw Mr. Valluzzo “walking upright and advancing towards them,” while holding a revolver.
“Immediately recognizing that Valluzzo was armed with a handgun, Officer Romero ordered Valluzzo at least twice to drop the weapon. Valluzzo failed to drop the weapon and approached to within 15 feet of the officer,” the affidavit reads.
The police were sent to the Valluzzo house after Lt. Michael Gates received a phone call at 4:45 p.m. from in Boca Raton, Fla.
The caller identified herself as Janine Saviano and reported an active domestic dispute involving her cousin, Anna Parille, and Mr. Valluzzo at 423 Ridgebury Road.
Ms. Parille told Ms. Saviano over the phone that Mr. Valluzzo had been drinking “a large quantity of alcohol” and was armed.
Police have not released a toxicology report.
In addition to the toxicology report, police have not commented on whether or not there were previous domestic disputes at the residence.
Ms. Parille testified that she had been on the phone with Ms. Saviano when she entered the home. At that time, Mr. Valluzzo started yelling at her. She told Ms. Saviano he had been drinking wine.
Mr. Valluzzo got the gun from a pouch alongside the bed in the master bedroom, the affidavit says. He began waving the weapon around in that room and feigning to call police on his cell phone.
“Valluzzo made comments into the phone such as, ‘There’s an invader in my house,’” the affidavit reads.
Mr. Valluzzo left the room when he heard the police arriving and that’s when Ms. Parille locked herself in the bedroom.
Ridgefield Police Captain Tom Comstock said Officer Romero has not been reinstated to patrol duties as of Monday, July 8. Captain Comstock had early reported Officer Romero had been assigned to departmental adminstrative duty.