Teen's Death Ruled a Suicide

The victim's father called police just before the shooting.

A Southington teen found shot inside his home, committed suicide, according to the Medical Examiner's Office.

Joseph Ozga, 18, was found inside the home at 949 South End Road on Tuesday.  He was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, where he later died.
 
Ozga's father called police to report a problem in the home around 1:50 p.m., police said.

"He gave us a call and he stated that the son was in the home, allegedly that he was taking things out of the home and he wanted us to respond to the matter," Sgt. Lowell DePalma said.

When officers arrived, they found Ozga suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.

Ozga was a 2011 graduate of Southington High School, where he played lacrosse. Counseling will be available at the school through the week, Supt. Joseph Erardi Jr. said in a news release.

His friends said they are devastated by the death of the teen, who they describe as a nice guy, good student and hard worker. 
 
“Joe was a very friendly person. He had a bright head on his shoulders,” Wilfredo Camacho, a childhood friend of Ozga’s, said. “Always happy, joking around, cracking a joke every once in a while.  It just came as a shock.”
 
Neighbors said the Ozga family has lived in the home for more than two decades and have been great neighbors. 
 
“It just makes me sad, you know,” said Jill Festa, who lives next door to the Ozgas. “It’s weird. It’s just really weird. It’s hard to settle down after something like that happens. A young kid. I don’t know what’s going on.”
 

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