 Inset: Victor Quispe (Green Funeral Home/Dignity Memorial). Background: David Grullon Jr. appears in court (WABC/YouTube).
A Connecticut man is accused of shooting his friend and next-door neighbor through their shared wall as the victim sat on his couch eating dinner.
David Grullon Jr., 42, faces several charges, including second-degree manslaughter, two counts of risk of injury to a child, and criminal possession of a pistol, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime. He is being held by authorities on a $1 million bond.
On Jan. 7, at about 8:30 p.m., 37-year-old Victor Quispe was in his townhome on Lake Avenue in Danbury. In an adjoining townhome was Grullon, authorities said.
Quispe is believed to have been sitting on his couch eating dinner while Grullon — through the wall — was fiddling with a gun. Suddenly, a bullet struck Quispe in the torso, creating a hole in the back of a couch cushion and a “blood-like stain” in the middle of the sofa, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by ABC News.
“They were friends,” Grullon”s attorney Gene Zingaro said of the two men, adding that this incident “wasn’t playing around.” And the defendant apparently realized that he had fired a shot, calling Quispe twice — and receiving no answer — before deciding to leave his home and 4-year-old son and 15-year-old stepdaughter behind.
But as Grullon got into his vehicle, he noticed the arrival of someone at the apartment complex, according to the affidavit. It was Quispe’s fiancee, and he reportedly told her there had been an “accident” and instructed her to call 911. Then, he left.
Officers with the City of Danbury Police Department arrived at the home to find Quispe unresponsive on the kitchen floor and bleeding from his head, ABC News reported. He was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Inside the victim’s apartment, food and a beverage were on a table in front of the couch. There was also a small hole in the living room wall — and as officers continued investigating and entered Grullon’s home, they reportedly found a bullet hole in his wall, too, as well as a Winchester 9mm Luger.
The suspect was not home.
Law enforcement said Grullon spent eight days on the run before he turned himself in and provided a statement to police. According to Zingaro, the shooting was an “accident,” and Grullon was “handling the firearm and was shocked that it went off.”
The lawyer added that both men were expecting children, suggesting they were at a similar stage in their lives.
Grullon fled because he was out on bond for a separate case where he was charged with assault and witness intimidation, according to flagship ABC station WABC. He also was reportedly not allowed to be in possession of a firearm.
The defendant is scheduled to appear in court for a plea hearing on Feb. 2.
Quispe is remembered in his obituary as a barber in the community who was working “tirelessly to provide for his family and prepare for the arrival of his first baby.”
“We will miss him more than words can express, but we will carry his light with us always,” the obituary adds.
