SEYMOUR – Police are conducting a homicide investigation after a man was found shot in the Ideal Plaza parking lot at 172 North St.
Police identified the victim as 33-year-old Dean Battaglino. Police said he was from New Haven. A friend posting to Valley Indy Facebook said he was an Ansonia resident.
Police said they received a 911 call Wednesday (Aug. 26) at 1:15 a.m. reporting that a man was dead in the parking lot. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Seymour Police Chief John Bucherati said the department is working on obtaining search warrants pertaining to the investigation.
“We are following up on several leads. We are conducting interviews at this time, and the investigation is less than twelve hours old,” Bucherati said around 11 a.m.
The office of the state’s chief medical examiner said an autopsy is scheduled to be conducted Aug. 27.
Friends of the victim expressed their condolences on Facebook Wednesday morning. Battaglino had a daughter, according to their posts.
Bucherati declined to comment on whether there witnesses to the shooting, or if nearby businesses captured footage, citing the ongoing investigation.
An interview with Bucherati is embedded below.
Bucherati said police believe the plaza’s businesses were closed at the time of the shooting. The businesses remained closed as police conducted their investigation.
A maroon Nissan Sentra which police believe belonged to the victim remained in the scene as of Wednesday morning.
In general, police will canvass the area of a homicide looking for surveillance footage or people who might have heard something.
A mechanic who works at the nearby Sunoco gas station (54 New Haven Road) said he was towing a car to the gas station at around 11 p.m. the night before, but didn’t see anything unusual in the Ideal Plaza parking lot. He said the Sunoco does have surveillance cameras, and that police showed up in the morning to interview his boss.
An employee at Hot Tamales Grill & Bar, located across the street in Seybridge Plaza at 39 New Haven Road, said the bar hosted a party on the patio the previous evening until around 11 p.m. However, she said no one heard or saw any commotion across the street at the time.
Anyone who has information concerning this incident is asked to call the Seymour Police Department Detective Bureau at 203-881-7638. Callers can remain confidential.
Detectives from the Seymour Police Department, the Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad, and inspectors from the Milford States Attorney’s office were on scene investigating as of 11 a.m. Wednesday.