Masked teen killed by father had knife

The Associated Press

NEW FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- A masked prowler was wielding a knife when a fifth-grade teacher shot him, only to discover that it was his 15-year-old son, state police said Friday.

This small Connecticut town was sent reeling in grief and confusion over the tragedy. No charges have yet been brought against Jeffrey Giuliano in the slaying of his son, Tyler, shot in his aunt's driveway next door to his own home around 1 a.m. Thursday.

State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said the boy had never been in trouble with the law, and some of those who knew Tyler 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 Jeffrey Giuliano got a call from his sister next door saying someone might be trying to break into her home in the 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.

Tyler, a student at New Fairfield High School, was adopted by Giuliano and his wife a few years ago, friends said. One classmate said many students were also baffled by what had happened.