Off-duty NYPD cop shot Babylon man, 27, who may have MISTAKENLY gone to his house
An off-duty NYPD detective who shot a 27-year-old West Babylon man at the former's home may have made a tragic mistake as the case might not have been that of an attempted burglary, a friend of the victim has said. The friend said that the victim, Rinaldo Laviolette, was trying to open the door of Detective Douglas DeOtto’s West Babylon home on March 5 because he thought it was the house of a friend where they had been partying.
The friend said that his sister was with Laviolette for a 30th birthday party in a nearby town. A drunk Laviolette left around 3 am after mistakenly grabbing another guest’s wallet and phone instead of his own. Mistaking the cop's house for the friend's house, Laviolette was trying to return the belongings, his friend told New York Post.
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“When he goes to go back, the houses to him kind of begin to look the same,” the friend said. He said that when Laviolette was trying the door at the cop’s house, he found it locked and banged on it. “And it turns out to be an off-duty cop who answers the door and sees this kid disoriented and what he thinks is this person trying to break into this house. This led to what I understand is an argument,” the friend said.
The two had a tussle and Laviolette was shot in the eye. Laviolette’s father, Rinaldo, said that his son lost the vision in his right eye. “He happened to go to the wrong house. The friend lives three houses down and the house looked similar at night,” the father said. Laviolette's lawyer, Stephen Flamhaft, said that the incident was still being probed by Suffolk police. He added that Laviolette had no criminal record. Laviolette was released from the hospital Thursday and was “doing OK".
A GoFundMe has been set up by Laviolette's friends to help cover medical expenses. "A few words from Kaela," The page says. "The purpose of this page is to help support our dear friend and gentle soul, Rinaldo, as well as his family with any hospital financials or whatever they might need during this tragic time. We all know Rinaldo and love him deeply for his ability to light up any room he walks into. Every dollar counts and is tremendously appreciated! Thank you, Courtney, Kaela, Sarah, & Danielle." At the time this article was written, $22,755 USD had been raised for the $30,000 goal.