Credit: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office
A Bucks County Probation and Parole Department officer was conducting a routine check on 24-year-old Colin Frank Petroziello inside the Yardley Borough condo where he lived around 11 a.m. Wednesday. She knocked on the door and heard yelling and the slamming of doors from inside. It led to her calling for borough police to provide backup, according to authorities and court papers.
Yardley Borough police Chief Joe Kelly arrived and knocked with the probation officer on the door of the Yardley Commons unit off South Main Street.
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Boom.
A round from a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun was fired from inside the condo at the front door. Projectiles from the shotgun broke through the door and struck Kelly in the ear and hand as he raised his arm to protect himself. The probation officer was unhurt, authorities said.
Court papers and officials did not report that the chief returned fire.
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Kelly, dealing with injuries from the pellet-like projectiles fired from the shotgun, and the probation officer requested additional assistance and retreated to safer positions. Kelly radioed that he was struck, a heart-pounding statement for any police officer to hear over their radio.
Police sources said the radio call led to officers from around Lower Bucks County to drop what they were doing and rush with lights and sirens toward the riverfront borough.
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Petroziello remained in the condo with his mother inside. The South Central Bucks County Emergency Response Team tactical unit was called up to surround the residence. Neighbors either sheltered in place or were evacuated by officers with weapons drawn.
Kelly was taken from the scene to St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown Township for treatment of his injuries, which were non-life-threatening. He was expected to have surgery on his hand Thursday, officials said.
Yardley Commons resident Jessica DiMaria was upset as the incident was going down because her 14-year-old daughter, Angelena, was home while she was at work.
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Like many residents, DiMaria was waiting to go home and see her daughter who was worried as she was sheltering in the home.
In the end, Angelena was reunited with her mom.
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”This is such a quiet neighborhood,” DiMaria said during the standoff. “Nothing ever happens here.”
Lower Makefield Township police Chief Kenneth Coluzzi said tactical teams, which were made up of officers from around the lower end of the county, were working to speak with Petroziello but didn’t have luck.
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At some point after the standoff began, Petroziello’s mother was removed from the condo by tactical officers, Coluzzi said. Court papers stated she threw the shotgun out to police before she left.
Just before 2:30 p.m., a loud bang was heard as police breached a door.
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However, it wasn’t until 3:30 p.m. that tactical teams made entry to the condo and found Petroziello unconscious in a bedroom, Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub told reporters. He added it was not known how he became unconscious.
The 24-year-old, who had previous contacts with police departments ranging from Bristol Township and Lower Makefield Township, suffered no serious injuries.
Petroziello was on probation, according to court records, for a July 2020 disorderly conduct case where he was sentenced to supervision in January. He was also ordered to get drug and alcohol and mental health treatment.
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Aside from the shotgun, police said they found a Springfield 45-caliber semiautomatic handgun and two loaded magazines. A pair of brass knuckles was also located during a search by Bucks County Detectives.
Court papers listed that Petroziello has two involuntary mental health commitments prior to Wednesday’s incident. The commitments in 2012 and 2020 block him from having any firearms.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
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Kelly told police from the hospital that he spotted Petroziello in the condo in a “prone position at the top of the steps aiming a shotgun in their direction.” The observation was too late for him to fully get out of the way.
At St. Mary Medical Center, Kelly, a husband and father who has led the borough police department since 2015, was joined by other police officers and chiefs.
Weintraub visited Kelly at the hospital before heading to the standoff scene. He told reporters the chief was in “good spirits” considering the situation.
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“He’s extremely lucky to be alive,” said Coluzzi, the Lower Makefield Township chief.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
“We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this time,” the Yardley Borough Police Department said in a statement.
“I remember getting the call this morning, and the chills immediately ran up my spine,” Weintraub said. “The luckiest person today is Chief Joseph Kelly, next are his family and then it’s a tie: It’s all of us that the police selflessly serve and protect without regard for their own public safety, every damn day.”
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“And they do it without a thought of what could happen to them at any given moment,” he further stated. “This is but one horrible and awesome example all rolled into one because Police Chief Joseph Kelly knew of the risks, but he took them anyway when he assisted a fellow officer on a check the well-being call this morning.”
Petroziello was arraigned at 9 p.m. Thursday night by on-call District Judge Joseph Falcone on charges of attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer, two counts of attempted murder, six counts of aggravated assault, and one count each of assault of a law enforcement officer, persons not to possess a firearm, false imprisonment, recklessly endangering another person and possession of an instrument of crime. The judge denied him bail, citing the charge of attempted murder of a police officer.
The Bucks County Courier Times reported that during the preliminary arraignment, Petroziello had an “outburst” after veteran prosecutor Jennifer Schorn, the top non-elected official in the district attorney’s office, mentioned he was unemployed, receiving Social Security Disability, and supported by his parents.
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