New, chilling images and details have emerged of the brutal murder of two police officers in Connecticut.
The ambush killings of Sgt. Dustin DeMonte and Officer Alex Hamzy were likely sparked by an angry interaction that gunman Nicholas Brutcher had earlier with police, according to a report by the state inspector general.
Bodycam and CCTV footage shows the deadly chain of events on October 12, 2022, which began in Bleachers Bar in Bristol, where Nathan got into a fight with another customer.
Police were called when the fight moved to the parking lot, but officers arrived after the Brutcher brothers fled in a white pickup truck. Officers stopped their truck and had it towed because Nicholas was too drunk to drive and Nathan had an expired driver’s license.
During the traffic stop, Nicholas behaved aggressively and cursed at officers, making jokes about their height and salary.
The ambush killings of Sgt. Dustin DeMonte and Officer Alex Hamzy were likely sparked by an angry interaction shooter Nicholas Brutcher had earlier with police. Killer Nicholas Brutcher, right, is seen during the traffic stop
After learning that one of the officers present is named Monica Finkle, Nicholas referred to Ace Ventura, comparing the police to Ray Finkle, the villain from the 1994 film, also known as “Lt Einhorn.”
Nicholas also says things like, “I can outrun this damn thing” and “Look at you, you’re a fucking mess.”
He also repeatedly threatens the officers. At one point he says to one of the officers, “I really want to hurt you right now.”
During the confrontation, Nathan is seen trying to calm his brother down, even telling him to direct his anger at him instead of the police.
“If you want to get past the police, you have to hit me one more time,” he tells his brother before asking if the police can put him in cuffs.
DeMonte, 35, (left) was a 10-year veteran of the force and co-recipient of his department’s Officer of the Year award in 2019. Hamzy, 34, worked for his hometown police department for eight years
Bodycam and surveillance footage shows the deadly chain of events on October 12, 2022, which began at Bleachers Bar, where Nathan got into an argument with another patron
At one point, Nicholas tells his brother, “We’re going to get to it after this,” and then points out the officers as he counts them.
Then he says, “I’m going to bend you over and fuck you like your dog does.”
Nicholas repeatedly tries to provoke a physical fight with an officer, who continues to insist he hates the killer and fears for his life.
“I’m afraid of you,” the officer says. “Why would I want to fight you?”
Both brothers were fined for causing public disorder.
After the brothers were picked up from the scene, Nicholas made a false call to 911 asking for help for his brother, who he said had been acting aggressively since the two were pulled over at a traffic stop following a bar fight earlier that evening. the report said.
Their mother was called to pick them up after their truck was towed. At the scene, she berated the belligerent Nicholas, an interaction that likely left him feeling humiliated, the report said.
He also repeatedly threatens the officers. At one point he says to one of the officers: ‘I really want to hurt you now’
Friends and family members said Nicholas had talked about suicide in recent months, describing a morbid side that found its way into a stand-up comedy performance that one friend called “dark and tasteless.”
As DeMonte, Hamzy and Officer Alec Iurato approached the Brutchers’ home to respond to the call, Nicholas opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle from a hiding place in the bushes in front of his parents’ house next door. According to the report, all three officers were hit.
Wearing a camouflage shirt, pants and vest, he then stood over DeMonte and Hamzy where they had fallen and fired dozens more shots into them in front of his shocked parents, Joseph and Catrina Brutcher, who had come outside.
‘How proud are you of me? How proud?’ Nicholas said as he shot, possibly at his parents, according to the report.
His mother’s incessant screams were captured on police CCTV footage.
“I don’t think I’ve ever screamed like that in my life,” Catrina Brutcher told investigators. “My son walked up to one of the officers who was on the ground and shot him in the head at point blank range. I was just screaming at him to stop.”
Joseph Brutcher said his son was “in a trance-like state.”
Authorities concluded there was not enough evidence to charge Nathan Brutcher, who was hit in the first round of gunfire. He is seen outside Brutcher’s home before the shots rang out
Iurato, hit in the leg, was able to get away. He braced himself against a police car and fired a single shot, hitting Nicholas and killing him, the report said.
Friends and relatives said Nicholas had spoken about suicide in recent months, describing a sick side that found its way into a stand-up comedy act that a friend called “dark and tasteless.”
“He told jokes about dead babies, suicide and the disabled,” the report said.
Their mother was called to pick them up after their truck was towed. At the scene, she verbally abused an aggressive Nicholas, an interaction that likely left him feeling humiliated, the report said.
“I was embarrassed and told him that,” Catrina Brutcher said. “I said, ‘Nick, you’re disgracing your family; you disgrace our name.”
Authorities concluded there was not enough evidence to charge Nathan Brutcher, who was hit in the first round of gunfire
Authorities concluded there was not enough evidence to charge Nathan Brutcher, who was hit in the first shooting.
Nicholas fired a total of 83 rounds: 59 from an assault rifle and 24 from a 9mm handgun, the report said.
“Twenty-four shots hit Officer Hamzy. Six shots hit Sergeant DeMonte,” it said.
Nicholas had 14 registered firearms, according to the report, including the assault weapon, which is now banned in Connecticut. He had purchased the weapon in 2010 and was exempt under the law, but there is no evidence that he applied for a required certificate of possession or the high-capacity magazines he possesses.
Toxicology results showed his blood alcohol content of .234 was about three times the legal limit to drive.
Alec Iurato, 26, was rushed to St. Francis Hospital and underwent surgery for serious gunshot wounds
Thousands of police officers from across the country gathered at a Connecticut football stadium on Friday for the funeral of two officers who were shot dead in an ambush.
An analysis of his phone revealed that Nicholas had a ‘toxic’ relationship with a woman, who told him on the day of the attack that she might be pregnant. Information on the phone also indicated he had impregnated another woman, who was due in October 2022, around the time of the shooting, the report said.
“The analysis of Nicholas’s phone, interviews with family/friends, and a comprehensive review of all evidence collected provided insight into the stressors in his life that likely contributed to the ambush attack on officers,” the report said.
DeMonte, 35, was a 10-year veteran officer and co-recipient of his department’s Officer of the Year award in 2019. His wife was expecting their third child when he died.
Hamzy, 34, worked for the police in his hometown for eight years. Like DeMonte, he was an advisor to a police cadet program.
Iurato joined the Bristol division in 2018.