May 9, 2008
Fairfield police suspect murder in death of former Wilton resident
|
Kyle Schneider had dreamed of following a promising musical career, or his life might have taken a different road in the coming years.
But those dreams were cut short on Thursday, May 1, when Kyle, 17, was gunned down in his Fairfield home. The teen, who spent his formative years in Wilton, moving out of town five years ago, is being mourned by the many friends he left behind.
“He was like a brother to me. I wouldn’t consider him anything less,” said Ben, who befriended Kyle in kindergarten and remained close through the years, forming a band with him recently. “He was a really nice guy, and an outgoing person. If he was low on gas, he’d still come pick you up if you needed a ride.”
Kyle's friends have asked that their full names not be used until police capture the person, or persons, responsible for his death.
Fairfield Police are investigating Kyle’s death as a homicide following a ruling by the Chief Medical Examiner’s office in Farmington on Monday.
According to police, a call was received on May 1 at approximately 7:40 p.m. by Kyle’s father from their home on Congress Street. Officers found Kyle inside the home, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, according to a release issued by the department. He was declared dead at the scene, police said.
The State Police Western District Major Crime Squad was called in to aid in the investigation, and an autopsy at the Chief Medical Examiner’s office in Farmington confirmed the suspicion of Fairfield detectives when it ruled the death a homicide on Monday.
Police are asking anyone who was in the area of 4200 Congress Street between 4 and 7 p.m. to contact the detective bureau at 254-484.
“We are continuing to process evidence and conduct interviews,” said Fairfield Police Captain Gary MacNamara over the phone on Monday.
Musical talent
Kyle, who lived in Wilton from age one, attended local schools through sixth grade and still has many friends in town, according to his mother, Mary Schneider.
He had moved to Maine in 2003, but had recently moved back to the area, living with his father in Fairfield. He was a junior at Fairfield Warde High School, and a member of the school band at the time of his death.
“His formative years were spent in Wilton, he loved Wilton,” his mother said during an interview Monday. “He was a Merwin Meadows baby.”
Kyle played soccer in town, but excelled especially in music, his mother said, starting with violin and cello lessons, and followed by saxophone lessons at Cider Mill.
“He was definitely headed towards a musical career,” she said, adding Kyle had been looking into colleges, including the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Kyle played in a band with two of his friends from Wilton, Ben and Phil.
“Everyone is just in shock because he’s the last person you’d expect something like this to happen to,” Ben said.
Friends since kindergarten, Ben said Kyle had started playing the bass guitar a few years ago. Joined at the hip through school plays, on Halloween dressed as the movie characters Jay and Silent Bob, and at other times, Kyle and Ben spent much of their time together. In the summers, they would sometimes attend music camps together, including the Great Salt Bay School in Maine while in middle school.
The three friends had started their band about six months ago.
“We were just starting out,” said Ben.
Friends met for a vigil at Merwin Meadows on Friday after hearing the news, said Ben. An impromptu memorial was also growing at Wilton High School, where many of Kyle’s friends left flowers, candles and notes in memory of his life.
Click here to read the full obituary.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
|
