Date: March 4, 2016
Re: Video Depicting a Male Subject and Handgun
Issued by/Contact : Sgt. Det. Mark Cappelli
Detective Division
203-662-5368
mcappelli@darienct.gov
For Immediate Release
On March 4, 2016, during mid-morning, the Darien Police Department School Resource Officer (SRO) assigned to Darien High School was made aware of a short video, posted to social media, depicting what appeared to be a young white male, his face partially obscured by a bandana, brandishing what appeared to be a handgun as he issued verbal taunts. These taunts were not specifically directed against any identifiable person, group, place or institution. The SRO was subsequently able to identify a Darien High School student, present at the school at that time, as potentially having some involvement with the video. Upon contacting this student in an office at Darien High School the student became combative and was taken into custody and transported to Darien Police Headquarters. The video described was not filmed at Darien High School.
Subsequent investigation led to information that a second subject, a sixteen year old Stamford acquaintance of the Darien High School student, may have also been involved in the video, at which point Stamford police investigators were contacted and came to Darien Police Headquarters. Information was developed that the subject depicted in the video was the sixteen year old Darien High School student taken into custody earlier today. Additional information obtained was that the handgun depicted in the video was in fact real. Stamford officers did make contact with the Stamford acquaintance and a parent. Despite having received voluntary consent to search the residence of both the Darien High School student and his Stamford acquaintance, the handgun seen in the video has not been located. Investigative efforts to locate that handgun will obviously continue.
The sixteen year old Darien student has been remanded to the Bridgeport Juvenile Youth Detention Facility pending further proceedings.
According to Darien Police Chief Duane J. Lovello, “This investigation is receiving the highest priority. I have been in close contact with Dr. Dan Brenner, Superintendent of Schools to ensure a timely exchange of information necessary to keep students, school staff, and parents aware of what information we do have. There is nothing to suggest that any criminal act was being planned. We will keep this line of communication open and, in conjunction with school administrators, do whatever is necessary to address any concerns school students, staff or parents may have. As always, the cooperation and assistance received from the Stamford Police Department was outstanding.”
There is no other information being released at this time.