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According to state police, two Connecticut officers were lured to their deaths, while a third was injured by a fake domestic violence call.
Dustin DeMonte, 35, and Alex Hamzy, 34, were both shot and killed by Nicholas Brutcher, 35, after responding to a 911 call at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday on Redstone Hill Road in Bristol.
According to police, Brutcher opened fire on the officers with AR-15 when they arrived at the house.
They now say the preceding 911 was “a deliberate act to lure the police to the scene.”
A third officer, Alec Iurato, 26, was rushed to Saint Francis Hospital and operated on for serious gunshot wounds, where he is currently recovering.
Connecticut State Police Sgt. Christine Jeltema confirmed that the suspect opened fire, and an officer was pronounced dead at the scene.
Brutcher was injured in the encounter and was hospitalized.
Dustin DeMonte, 35, was shot dead while responding to a 911 call of a domestic incident between two brothers in Connecticut
Alex Hamzy, 34, was also killed in the incident where police met an armed suspect outside the address
Alec Iurato, 26, was rushed to Saint Francis Hospital and operated on for serious gunshot wounds, where he is currently recovering.
Two police officers were killed and one had to fight for his life after a gunman saw a gunman open fire in Connecticut.
A witness, Danny Rodriguez, said he heard three sets of shots and a total of 30 shots. He says he heard another woman screaming, “You killed them!”
“I heard a whole war going on behind me,” Rodriguez said, according to… COCO.
Jeltema said state poachers and detectives are still collecting evidence and the “very complex” investigation is ongoing.
She added it was an “isolated incident” with “no threat to the community” during a press conference.
Bristol Police Chief Brian Gould added that the deaths were the result of “senseless violence” that has brought “sadness and grief” to police.
Witnesses described hearing two sets of 12 gunshots before sirens and a helicopter descended on the area.
The suspect who opened fire was fatally shot and pronounced dead at the scene, while his brother was also shot and taken to a hospital. His condition is unknown.
Hired in 2012, Sergeant Demonte worked as a school assistant, leaving behind his pregnant wife Laura and two young children Phoebe and Porter.
Officer Hamzy joined the patrol department in 2014, leaving behind his wife Katie, parents and two sisters.
Bristol Police Chief Brian Gould added that the deaths were the result of “senseless violence” that has brought “sadness and grief” to police.
Connecticut State Police Sgt. Christine Jeltema confirmed that the suspect opened fire, declaring an officer dead at the scene
Jeltema said state troopers and detectives are still collecting evidence and the ‘very complex’ investigation is ongoing
Hired in 2018, Iurato was also assigned to the patrol division, with Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont ordering flags to be flown at half-mast in honor of the fallen officers.
He added: ‘The loss of two Bristol Police officers who were killed on duty while responding to a domestic violence emergency call is a senseless tragedy, and my prayers are with their families, loved ones and fellow officers. .
“This is a devastating reminder of the dangers police officers face every day to protect our families and neighbors from all kinds of situations.”
Mourners have left several floral tributes outside the Bristol Connecticut Police Department, which also has black flags over their signs.
Nearby resident Robyn Lauzon told the Middletown Press that the shooting sounded “like a war zone.”
The three officers were shot during a particularly violent week for police in the United States, with five others being shot
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont ordered flags in the city to be flown at half-mast after the shooting, describing the incident as a “senseless tragedy.”
‘It was horrible. I heard three shots of nine or ten shots each,” she said. “It was terrible and the sirens were crazy. It was like a war zone.’
The officers were shot dead during a particularly violent week for police in the United States.
On Tuesday night in Mississippi, Greenville Police Department Detective Myiesha Stewart was killed and several other people were injured by gunfire as she and other officers responded to a call, authorities said.
On Wednesday morning, three police officers in Philadelphia were shot and wounded in a home and a suspect was killed when a SWAT team attempted to arrest a man wanted on charges of manslaughter, police said.
And in Decatur, Illinois, two police officers conducting a traffic stop in a central Illinois city were shot and injured early Wednesday by a motorist who died after officers returned fire, police said.