Stamford security guard arrested for shooting at park
STAMFORD CT Aug 23 2019 — A security guard has been arrested for firing two bullets into Scalzi Park early Wednesday evening while two youth football practices and an adult softball game were in progress on nearby fields, police said.
James Denardo, 68, has been charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, interfering with police, 50 counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and 22 counts of risk of injury to a minor.
“This was really serious. The guy is lucky he didn’t kill anyone and didn’t get killed himself. He put a lot of people in danger because what he did was a very reckless act,” said downtown Capt. Diedrich Hohn, who added police are trying to figure out what Denardo was up to.
Two guns found in Denardo’s car had been purchased earlier in the day by the Army veteran, police said.
At his arraignment early Thursday afternoon a Stamford judge reduced his bond from $150,000 to $75,000, but Denardo could not post it and was sent to Bridgeport Correctional Center. A public defender was assigned to the case.
Hohn said no one was injured from the gunfire that occurred around 6:20 p.m. A witness called 911 reporting a man in a Cadillac was possibly firing a gun at the dead-end portion of Fourth Street and Washington Boulevard, police said.
Police rushed to the scene and found Denardo, who lives on Fourth Street, sitting in his vehicle and approached with guns draw, Hohn said.
Officers ordered Denardo to keep his hands in sight, and displayed “extreme restraint,” he said, when Denardo dropped them. But he complied when they commanded him to raise his hands again. Police then discovered Denardo had a loaded two-shot derringer pistol in his lap, Hohn said.
Denardo was removed from the car and handcuffed following a brief struggle.
Inside the vehicle, Hohn said police also found a loaded 9 mm Beretta. Hohn said they found two shell casings outside the car, indicating the gun had been loaded again after being fired.
Capt. Richard Conklin said Denardo has had guns registered to him in the past and that his last permit to carry was issued in Feburary 2015. His permit was seized and sent to State Police who will review his case and probably revoke the license, Conklin said.
Witnesses told police they saw Denardo, who is a security guard, though it could not be determined where on Thursday, point the gun out the window and fire two shots, which went across Washington Boulevard and into Scalzi park, where the football practices and softball game were happening, Hohn said.
Players on the softball field said they heard the shots and saw two bullets strike the ground next to them. Hohn said the bullets struck the field between the left fielder and center fielder, about 250 yards from where Denardo was seated in his car.
Denardo’s apartment was searched but no other firearms were found, Hohn said. He added Denardo had about 20 unopened mini bottles of vodka in the car. Denardo denied shooting into the park when Hohn spoke to him.
Denardo was taken to Stamford Hospital and cleared after a psychological evaluation and brought to headquarters on Bedford Street where he was jailed before being brought to court Thursday morning. No plea was made in the case.
Stamford Advocate
