Man Sentenced for Shooting Police Chief

In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a man named Colin Petroziello was sentenced to 15-30 years in prison last week, following a no contest plea for the shooting of Yardley Police Chief Joseph Kelly in August 2021. The 26-year-old resident of Yardley was charged with attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and several other crimes.

A no contest plea is not a confession of guilt, but rather an acceptance of the conviction based on evidence presented against the defendant. Petroziello was accused of firing a shotgun at Chief Kelly, who suffered injuries to his hand and ear, during a domestic disturbance check at the Yardley Commons Condominiums. After shooting the chief, Petroziello barricaded himself inside his apartment with his mother for over an hour until she called the police and surrendered.

Petroziello was also in possession of a loaded .45-caliber handgun and an additional loaded magazine at the time of his arrest. The emergency response team breached his home and took him into custody.