Two police officers killed, one seriously injured in shooting in Bristol – Hartford Courant

Two police officers were fatally shot and one was seriously injured during a call for a domestic incident in Bristol late Wednesday night.

Sgt. Dustin DeMonte, 35, and Ofc. Alex Hamzy, 34, were identified as the two officers killed in the shooting, according to Bristol Police Department Chief Brian Gould at a press conference Thursday morning. Ofc. Alec Iurato, 26, was severely injured and taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford for surgery. He is now recovering from surgery, Gould said.

Gould said Iurato would be released from the hospital within the next few hours on Thursday morning. Bristol officers were planning to meet him at the hospital and escort him home.

“He’s coming home,” Gould said.

Bristol Police responded to 310 Redstone Hill Road for a reported possible domestic violence incident between two siblings before 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to Sgt. Christine Jeltema of the Connecticut State Police at a press conference Thursday morning.

When officers arrived, one suspect was outside of the residence and shots were fired, fatally wounding one officer on the scene. The second officer died at the hospital, and the third was seriously injured.

Gould said they were investigating reports that the incident was an ambush but there was no indication yet that was the case. Investigators were continuing to chase down all leads. Gould said as of 11:30 a.m., it appeared that police were responding to a family violence incident that began with an altercation at Bleachers and continued at the home on Redstone Hill Road.

The suspect, identified as Nicholas Brutcher was also shot and pronounced deceased at the scene. The suspect’s brother, Nathan Brutcher, was also shot and was transported to St. Francis for treatment of his wounds, according to the state police.

Nearly every member of the Bristol Police Department walked down Redstone Hill Road Thursday morning — some stoically, some wiping away tears — following a black vehicle that carried the remains of fallen Bristol Officer Hamzy. Lining the length of Emmett Street, officers from nearly every law enforcement agency in the state gathered for the procession.

A large police procession with officers from around the state escorted the fallen Sgt. LeMonte from Bristol Hospital to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington earlier Thursday morning.

“Our community has been rocked, our police department has been rocked,” Gould said earlier Thursday morning.

“Today, our hearts are broken. We are united in immeasurable grief for those hero officers, for their families, and friends and for our all of our law enforcement personnel. Bristol and the entire nation needs to wrap our arms around them as well as our own loved ones.” said Bristol Mayor Jeff Caggiano.

DeMonte is survived by his wife, two children, parents and two siblings. He has one child on the way, Gould said.

He won several awards in over 10 years with the department, including the Officer of the Year in 2019 and the Silver Star, Gould said. He was a school resource officer at Green Hills and West Bristol schools.

He graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a degree in criminology and a minor in psychology, Gould said.

Hamzy was born and raised in Bristol and graduated from Bristol Eastern High School. He spent eight years with the Bristol Police Department. He was a patrol officer and received “numerous” recognitions in his time with the department, Gould said.

He is survived by his wife, parents and two sisters.

Iurato is a member of the department’s central region emergency response team, Gould said. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in government, law and national security.

Gould said that the three officers that were shot were the embodiment of ideal police officers. All three absolutely loved policing, their families and the Bristol community.

“Our men and women of the Bristol Police Department are privileged and honored to serve on the front lines, protecting and serving the community of Bristol. That’s what these heroes did last night. They answered a call to duty and they responded without hesitation. And that’s what they did every night before that.” said Gould.

About 11 a.m. on Thursday, Ian Dunn hung his head outside the window of his apartment near the scene as he watched officers from nearly every law enforcement agency in the state line up on Redstone Hill Road to pay their respects to the fallen officers.

Dunn was inside a basement-level apartment less than a block away from the shooting watching TV with his girlfriend when they heard what sounded like 10 loud pops, he said. At first, they thought maybe the sound was a car backfiring.

”But then we heard the second round and that’s when we threw ourselves on the ground,” he said.

The couple laid on the ground in the apartment for about five minutes, he said. ”That’s when everyone started showing up. We heard the sirens and saw the lights.”

The couple ran around the apartment locking doors to keep themselves safe, he said. Once officers were on scene, Dunn said that “it was eerily quiet.”

”We could tell something bad bad happened,” he said.

At least a few times, they heard officers say: “Where is he?”

Dunn said that was the scariest part was not knowing whether a shooter was on the loose in their neighborhood.

A resident of the Redstone Commons condominiums across the street from the scene said he was outside at the mailbox when police arrived on the scene.

“I heard the shots and I already knew what was going on,” the 45-year-old man said.

“I heard all the gunshots and saw all the powder and the residue. It was really smoky here. … You could taste it.”

He said he heard a woman screaming, “Oh my God you killed them.”

Gov. Ned Lamont directed flags to half-staff in honor to honor the fallen officer, calling it a senseless tragedy.

“My prayers are with their families, loved ones, and fellow officers,” Lamont said. “I also ask the residents of Connecticut to keep in their prayers a third officer who was shot while responding to this emergency and is currently in the hospital with serious injuries.

“This is a devastating reminder of the dangers that police officers face every day to protect our families and neighbors from all kinds of situations,” he said. “These officers are heroes and will always be remembered for the honorable service they provided to their town and their state.”

Bristol Senator Henri Martin, R-Bristol, said in a statement: “This is heartbreaking.

“Words cannot sum up our sadness and emotions. Our thoughts and prayers are with our Bristol Police Department, their families, and our entire law enforcement community,” Martin said. “We will continue to pray for them all.”

Bristol Superintendent of Schools Catherine M. Carbone said in a letter to families, “It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of this morning from Bristol. Three Bristol police officers were shot overnight, two fatally, after responding to a call for assistance.

“As the details of this tragedy emerge, we will stand together in support of each other and our community at large. Over the coming hours and days, we will provide you with updates and additional information as it becomes available,” she said. “We offer our heartfelt thoughts and condolences to the victims’ families and friends and the entire Bristol Police Department during this very difficult time.”

Carbone said the district crisis team will continue to monitor the situation and support all students and staff.

State police said this is an isolated incident and there is no threat to the community.

“Please keep the Bristol Police Department and their families in your thoughts and in your prayers. And of the law enforcement officers that serve this great state.” Jeltema said.

The incident is under investigation and more information is to come as details emerge.

Information from Courant reporters Mike Mavredakis and Taylor Hartz were used in this report.