Newtown,CT.:Six Months And Still No Sandy Hook Report? Who made state police Lt. Paul Vance king?

Newtown,CT.:Six Months And Still No Sandy Hook Report? Who made state police Lt. Paul Vance  king?

http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-ed-newtown-report-still-mia-20130530,0,4996779.story


Six Months On, And Still No Sandy Hook Report? Who made the state police king?

State Police Lt. Paul Vance addresses a horde of news people a day after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. (Getty Images / December 15, 2012)

5:29 p.m. EDT, May 30, 2013

Newtown massacre: Still no report

Who made the state police king? Why do they continue to drag their feet in releasing a final report on the investigation into the devastating Dec. 14 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School? Who gave that agency the authority to decide what the public should know and when they should know it?

Last March, peeved because high-ranking state police officers attending law enforcement conferences were leaking details from the massacre investigation that had not been made public, Gov.Dannel P. Malloy demanded an interim report on the status of the probe. The investigators complied, while stating that a final report on the heinous crime would not be finished until mid-June — at the earliest.

Now we are told by the state police that a final investigative report on Sandy Hook won't be ready until the end of September, more than nine months after the crime was committed.

"Nobody ever said that we had to have it done by a certain time," said the usually professional department spokesman, Lt. J. Paul Vance.

The "hide-the-information" game being played by the police and other state officials is ridiculous. The only suspect in this crime — shooter Adam Lanza, who killed 20 first-graders, six female educators, his mother and himself — is dead. It's almost certain there won't be another arrest. The police have little to no excuse for dragging this out.

Mr. Malloy, who was helpful in squeezing a status report out of prosecutors in March, is of no help now. He is siding with the secret-keepers.

Indeed, The Courant discovered that his staff worked behind closed doors, contrary to usual procedure, with legislative leaders and the chief state's attorney's office to prepare legislation that would keep a broad swath of normally available information about Sandy Hook secret forever unless relatives of victims ask for its release.

The bill hasn't been voted on, and leading lawmakers won't say whether or when it will be.

The penchant for secrecy displayed by the state police, the governor and legislative leaders is deeply troubling. It's obvious they don't trust the public.

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http://www.thereddingpilot.com/10634/fatal-shooting-investigation-continues-john-valluzzo-a-former-redding-resident-was-killed-on-friday/

 Fatal shooting: Investigation continues — John Valluzzo, a former Redding resident, was killed on Friday By Steve Coulter, Hersam Acorn Newspapers on May 29, 2013

In a previous statement, state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said Ridgefield officers received an emergency call shortly after 5 p.m., reporting a domestic incident.  Police were reportedly told by the caller that the suspect had a gun and was possibly under the influence of alcohol, but official police sources would not confirm this.

By Steve Coulter, Hersam Acorn Newspapers on May 29, 2013 in Highlights, Latest News · 0 Comments

John Valluzzo stands in front of a tank at the Military Museum of Southern New England in 2010. Mr. Valluzzo founded the museum in 1995 and served as its president. —Elizabeth Reid photo

Friday’s shooting on Ridgebury Road in Ridgefield has left  community members in shock and wondering what happened to cause police to fire at John Valluzzo. He was a former Redding resident.

“We’ve had situations where police have fired a shot, but we’ve never had an incident where anybody was killed,” Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi said.  “It’s a very sad situation and people in town were really shocked by it — it’s shame that it had to happen.”

Captain Tom Comstock of the Ridgefield Police confirmed that Friday’s shooting was the first of its kind for the police department, but would not give any other details, insisting the investigation is ongoing and in the hands of the state police at the request of Ridgefield Police and the state’s attorney.

An autopsy conducted Tuesday revealed Mr. Valluzzo died of multiple gun shot wounds, according to the Office of the Chief State’s Medical Examiner.

The officer involved in the shooting was identified as  Officer Jorge Romero, a seven-year veteran of the department, said the state police in an updated statement released Tuesday afternoon.

“As per department policy, Officer Romero is being assigned to departmental administrative duty pending a review of this incident,” the statement read.

In a previous statement, state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said Ridgefield officers received an emergency call shortly after 5 p.m., reporting a domestic incident.  Police were reportedly told by the caller that the suspect had a gun and was possibly under the influence of alcohol, but official police sources would not confirm this.

When they arrived at the scene, Mr. Valluzzo was in the yard of his residence and was armed with a handgun.

Lt. Vance said Officer Romero fired his weapon after Mr. Valluzzo refused to drop his gun and had pointed his weapon toward the policeman.

“The male subject refused to comply with the officers’ orders,” the statement read. “He raised the weapon towards the officers and caused a Ridgefield officer to discharge his service weapon, striking the male subject.”

Mr. Valluzzo was transported by ambulance to Danbury Hospital. Shortly after admission, he was pronounced dead.

Officer Romero was not injured, but was taken to Danbury Hospital where he was treated and released.

Police had not released any more details of the confrontation as of press time.

Mr. Valluzzo, 75, founded the Military Museum of Southern New England in 1995, and served as its president. The not-for-profit museum is on Park Avenue in Danbury.

The museum called the shooting a “senseless tragedy” 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,” the statement read.

According to an interview he gave with the Ridgefield Historical Society in September 2010, Mr. Valluzzo said he had lived in New Canaan for nine years before moving to Ridgefield. Before that, he lived in Redding for 18 years. He also lived in Newtown for 18 years before moving to Redding.

Mr. Valluzzo was the owner of DCG Precision Grinding in Bethel. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving three years in Korea from 1956 to 1958, according to reports.