Man held in shooting of police officer

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I.—A North Kingstown man was ordered held without bail Monday in the shooting of a town police officer. The man is also a suspect in a deadly hit-and-run in East Greenwich.

David Catalano, 29, was arraigned Monday in Washington County District Court on five counts, including assault with intent to murder and discharging a firearm, resulting in injury to an officer while in the performance of his duty.

Catalano is accused of shooting Officer Travis Maiato on Sunday afternoon.

Maiato had gone to Catalano’s 10 Wasp Road in North Kingstown to tell him East Greenwich police wanted to speak with him about a hit-and-run.

Police said Maiato had just turned to leave when word came over his police radio that East Greenwich police wanted Catalano held. Police said they believe Catalano heard the transmission and attacked Maiato.

North Kingstown Police Chief Edward Charboneau said Catalano grabbed the officer from behind, took his service gun, pushed him down on the grass and fired three shots at him at close range.

“One struck his shoulder—scraped his shoulder. He had told us that he heard the sound of one whistling by his ear, and one hit him in the back,“ Charboneau said.

Maiato, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest, was released from the hospital Monday.

Web Site: Search David Catalano In Adult Criminal Information Database

After the shooting, police said Catalano stole Maiato’s cruiser and drove off. He was arrested a short time later on Post Road without incident.

Catalano is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in a fatal hit-and-run at a Shell gas station on Post Road that precipitated the shooting. He will be charged with reckless driving death resulting, and leaving the scene of an accident, death resulting.

Police said Catalano drove into 66-year-old Clifford Levalley, a long-time gas station employee who was filling a customer’s tire with air.

Levalley died a few hours later.

Catalano was already on probation for disorderly conduct.  He’ll have a probation violation hearing and a bail hearing on June 3.