Police: Connecticut man kills suspected burglar, then learns it's his teenage son

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By NBCConnecticut.com and wire reports

NEW FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- During what appeared to be an attempted late-night burglary, a man fatally shot a masked teenager in apparent self-defense outside his sister's house and then discovered it was his son, state police said.

Police said 15-year-old Tyler Giuliano was shot at about 1 a.m. on Thursday in New Fairfield, a town just north of Danbury.
The shooter's sister was alone in her house when she believed someone was breaking in. She called her brother, who lives next door, and he grabbed a gun and went outside to investigate, police said.

The father confronted someone wearing a black ski mask and black clothing and then fired his gun when the person went at him with a shiny weapon in his hand, police said.

When police officers arrived, the teen was lying in the driveway of the woman's home with gunshot wounds and the father was sitting on the grass. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.  "All in all it's a tragedy," state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said.  The Associated Press said teen's father, Jeffrey Giuliano, a fifth-grade teacher in town, had not returned a message seeking comment on what happened.

NBCConnecticut.com spoke to members of the community about what happened.  "The fact that it was a father and son involved in the shooting and the way that it all happened, I think people quite frankly are devastated. This is a teacher who is very loved," one man told the station.  One of Giuliano's students described him as "one of the best teachers I ever had."

The teenager was a student at New Fairfield High School, a short walk from the neighborhood where he was killed.

Superintendent of Schools Alicia Roy sent parents an email about what happened, The News-Times of Danbury reported.

"Our district has experienced a tragedy that has affected us deeply," she wrote, adding that students weren't told of the killing because all the facts weren't clear.
No charges have been filed. State police are investigating. An autopsy on the boy is planned.