Yardley Man Accused Of Shooting Police Chief Will Stand Trial

YARDLEY, PA — A judge has ordered the 24-year-old man accused of shooting Yardley's police chief to face trial on charges including attempted murder, the District Attorney's Office said after a preliminary hearing on Tuesday.

Magisterial District Judge Corryn L. Kronnagel ruled that enough evidence was presented to hold all charges for trail, after testimony from Yardley Police Chief Joseph Kelly, Bucks County Adult Probation/Parole Officer Cristina Viviano, a member of the South Central Bucks County Emergency Response Team, and a Bucks County Detective. The formal arraignment for Colin Frank Petroziello of Yardley is scheduled for Oct. 1.

Petroziello was taken into custody on Aug. 18, following an hours long standoff at Yardley Commons. The standoff began when the police chief was shot through Petroziello's apartment door while attempting to conduct a wellbeing check.

Viviano had been out on an offender check at Petroziello's apartment that morning after his mother called for assistance, testimony revealed. At Tuesday’s preliminary hearing, the judge learned that Petroziello was agitated, intoxicated, and armed prior to police arrival.

Guy Petroziello, the defendant's father, told Patch that his wife didn't alert Viviano to their son's status because she didn't yet know he was armed at the time. She called the probation officer from the building's parking lot, he said, and would enter the condo after her conversation with Viviano.

He said the family had contacted the probation office hoping that an officer could convince his son to attend a hearing scheduled for that day.

When Viviano heard slamming doors and arguing from inside the unit, the DA said she in turn called police for assistance with the offender check.

When Kelly arrived, knocked on the front door, and identified himself as police, he was injured in the hand and ear by projectiles from a shotgun blast. He testified he was able to peer into a windowpane on the door and could see a man, later identified as Petroziello, inside and aiming a gun at the door.

Kelly was brought to St. Mary Medical Center, and has since returned home after being treated for his injuries.

The DA said that, after the shooting, Petroziello barricaded himself and his mother inside their unit in the apartment building's 800 block. More than an hour later, Petroziello's mother told police via her cell phone that Petroziello had fallen asleep. She threw a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun out the window, according to testimony from Deputy Sheriff Ismael Ramos of the South Central Bucks Emergency Response Team, and the SERT team helped to get her out through a window.

When the SERT Team later made entry, they found Petroziello unconscious from alcohol and Xanax. They recovered a loaded .45-caliber handgun tucked in his waistband, and a second loaded magazine was found in his pants pocket, according to testimony. Bucks County Detectives served a search warrant, finding a set of brass knuckles in Petroziello's bedroom.

Groome testified that a background check revealed Petroziello was twice committed on involuntary mental health commitments, making him ineligible to possess a firearm under Pennsylvania law. He also has an active protection-from-abuse order against him from his maternal aunt, Groome said.

Petroziello is charged with 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.

First Assistant District Attorney Jennifer M. Schorn is assigned to prosecute the case.

Editor's Note: A prior version of this story said the police chief was shot multiple times. In fact, reports now say that one shot was fired, and the chief was injured by projectiles through the door.

A prior version of this story also stated testimony from Bucks County Detective Frank Groome that Petroziello's mother did not alert Viviano that her son was armed. Patch has now received information that Petroziello's mother had not yet entered the residence at the time, and so did not know her son had a firearm. The record has been corrected to reflect this.

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