Connecticut Jeweler Killed in Suspected Armed Robbery

Stamford, Conn.—Jewelry store owner Mark Vuono, 69, was found dead Saturday afternoon in what is being investigated as an armed robbery.

A customer entered Marco Jewelers around 2:45 p.m. and, suspecting a crime had taken place, called the police, according to a press release from the Stamford Police Department posted to its Facebook page.

Police and medical personnel arrived to find that Vuono had been shot. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is performing an autopsy, and the Stamford Police Department’s Crime Scene Unit is processing evidence.

Family-owned jewelry store Marco Jewelers opened in 1974 in Stamford, Connecticut (Image courtesy of Marco Jewelers’ Facebook page)
This is the first homicide of a jeweler in the United States since Jan. 10, 2018, according to Jewelers’ Security Alliance.

“In addition to the professional criminals who usually attack the jewelry industry, other desperate people may be joining them,” the JSA said in special bulletin sent out Monday.

During the coronavirus pandemic, there is a risk that jewelers may see “less experienced and violent suspects” robbing independent jewelry stores that are open as other stores remain closed, JSA warned.

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Stamford police are asking anyone with information to contact an investigator at 203-977-4417.

Vuono had deep ties in the Stamford community.

The family-owned store opened in 1974 and his grandmother was the founder of the Palace Theatre in Waterbury, according to a local report.

Commenters took to the store’s Facebook page to express their condolences.

“What a wonderful and sweet man,” one person wrote, while another said, “I am devastated by this news. What a tremendous loss.”