Ridgefield homeowner charged in Hulda Lane shooting

Residents of a Hulda Lane neighborhood, where an apparent car theft resulted in the shooting of a 15-year-old girl, were feeling unnerved about the incident and curious about the ongoing investigation. Residents of a Hulda Lane neighborhood, where an apparent car theft resulted in the shooting of a 15-year-old girl, were feeling unnerved about the incident and curious about the ongoing investigation. Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Ridgefield homeowner charged in Hulda Lane shooting 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

RIDGEFIELD — The Hulda Lane homeowner who police say shot a 15-year-old girl earlier this summer after she and other teenagers attempted to steal a car from his driveway has been charged with assault.

Mauro Tropeano, 33, turned himself in to police Monday night and was charged with second-degree assault with a firearm, unlawful discharge of a firearm, interfering with an officer and drug manufacturing and distribution charges for his actions on June 5 and the resulting search of his home, police said in a release.

“Judgment should be withheld until all of the facts are made known, including the nature of the group who invaded my client’s property in the middle of the night,” said Tropeano’s attorney, Eugene Riccio.

Under Connecticut law, a person is allowed to use “reasonable physical force” to prevent someone from criminally trespassing, according to a report by the state Office of Legislative Research. Deadly force is reasonable only when necessary to defend oneself, to prevent a trespasser from committing arson or a violent crime, or to prevent or terminate an unlawful entry, the report said.

In the Ridgefield case, two Waterbury teenagers, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old whose names were not released due to their age, were also charged based on warrants previously issued by Waterbury Juvenile Court. The 15-year-old was charged with sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny and the 16-year-old was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny.

Tropeano, the owner of Stanziato’s Wood Fired Pizza in Danbury and other businesses, called police around 3 a.m. the morning of June 5 to report the attempted theft of his 2014 Land Rover. He said he had chased off the would-be thieves, according to an affidavit for a search warrant of his home.

He told officers he had heard a loud noise and looked outside, where he saw two people crossing the front yard toward his house.

When he ran outside, Tropeano said, he saw his Land Rover backing into a lamppost and then hitting a tree, the affidavit states. He told investigators that two people jumped out of the car and got into a Honda CRV waiting nearby. According to the affidavit, he did not say anything to police at that point about guns or gunshots.

But shortly before Tropeano’s call to police, other homeowners had called to report hearing three to five gunshots in the neighborhood.

Police learned later that day that a 15-year-old girl had shown up to Waterbury Hospital with a gunshot wound to the back, and that she had been in Ridgefield the night before.

The girl was later reported to be in good condition, but doctors told police they likely wouldn’t be able to remove the bullet because it was lodged so close to her spine, according to the search warrant affidavit.

Ridgefield police interviewed a female friend of the girl. The friend told police the two of them had joined several other teens that evening as they traveled to Wilton, intending to steal cars. They eventually found their way to Hulda Lane, the friend said, and were trying to steal the Land Rover when she heard gunfire.

The group fled, stopping to pick up a car stolen earlier, and then drove the injured girl to Waterbury Hospital, court documents state.

Police said Tuesday that they are still trying to identify additional suspects from the group involved in the attempted theft.

Officers eventually returned to Tropeano’s home with a search warrant, which led to the discovery of seven pounds of marijuana, $26,000 in cash stuffed into a plastic bucket, large numbers of pills and several guns.

Tropeano had a permit to carry a handgun and had several other registered guns, including a Luger .40-caliber handgun, according to the affidavit. They also found several spent shell casings from that type of handgun.

Tropeano was released on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 5.