Yardley Borough Police Chief Joseph D. Kelly III is recovering and planning an eventual return to work after being wounded in an Aug. 18 shooting incident at Yardley Commons Condominiums in the borough.
According to information from the Bucks County District Attorney’s office, Kelly was assisting county adult probation/parole officer Cristina Viviano with an offender check on Colin Frank Petroziello, 24, when Petroziello allegedly fired a shotgun blast through the front door of his unit, wounding Kelly in a hand and ear.
Kelly and Viviano had knocked on the door and identified themselves as law enforcement officers, authorities said.
After the chief radioed for help, Petroziello barricaded himself inside with his mother, refusing to allow her to leave. She was eventually able to take the Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun from her son when he fell asleep, tossed it out a window and then escaped through the same window.
The four-hour standoff ended with Petroziello being arrested and taken into custody. He is in Bucks County Prison without bail, and has been 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, false imprisonment, recklessly endangering another person and possession of an instrument of crime.
Kelly was treated at St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown Township. There were no other injuries as the result of the incident, authorities said.
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