Former Rockledge police officer arrested on attempted manslaughter charge

ROCKLEDGE, Fla. – A former Rockledge police officer who is accused of shooting a teenager while responding to a burglary call has been arrested on an attempted manslaughter charge, according to the state attorney's office.

Cpl. Nicholas Galluzzi was put on administrative leave following the Dec. 1 shooting and then resigned Dec. 19.

In that incident, Galluzzi was following two teens accused of breaking into cars. The teens' car crashed and one boy ran out, while the other surrendered and exited the car with his hands above his head, police said. 

Galluzzi ordered the 17-year-old suspect to get on the ground and extend his hands above his head. The teen complied, but Galluzi shot him seconds later, according to the arrest affidavit.

Galluzi claimed the boy reached, but his body camera proved that the suspect was complying with all the demands, officials said.

The teen was treated for his injuries and charged with charged with three felony counts of vehicle burglary and one felony count of grand theft. He was sentenced to home detention on Dec. 6. 

The boy's mother, April Coney, has been insisting for months that her son did not resist arrest.

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"I said, 'Thank God. God is good.' We do have a God up above doing what's right about my son right now,"  Coney said after the arrest. "Nobody deserves for them to get violated, like that, about getting shot."

Galluzzi issued a statement, thanking the community after he resigned late last year.

"I would like to thank you for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Rockledge and I'm certain that I have been able to make a positive impact on the community during my 18 years of service," the statement read.

Galluzzi was arrested Thursday morning. He has since bonded out of the Brevard County Jail.

The Rockledge Police Department issued a statement detailing its response to the arrest.

"The department has been and continues to be committed to providing transparency relating to all matters pertaining to the shooting. Police officers are put into situations daily where they are forced to make life or death decisions in an instant, in this incident the officer discharged his firearm. The incident was investigated by an independent agency, FDLE.

The FDLE investigation was completed and upon review by the States Attorney’s office. They exercised their authority and determined an arrest was warranted.

We, as an agency, value the trust of the community, and when the shooting occurred, RPD took swift actions to protect the trust and integrity of the police department. As police chief, I want to assure the public that all employees of the department are held to the highest standards that are expected of their position by our community."