Authorities announced Thursday that the two police officers fatally shot in Connecticut appeared to have been lured into an ambush by a call for help regarding probable domestic violence.
The bullets also injured a third cop.
In a statement, state police claimed that the Bristol 911 call on Wednesday night reporting a fight between two siblings appeared to be “a premeditated attempt to draw law enforcement to the scene.”
Sgt. Dustin Demonte and Officer Alex Hamzy of the Bristol Police Department perished.
Alec Iurato, an officer, suffered harm.
The suspect, Nicholas Brutcher, 35, was reportedly shot dead by the police, and his brother Nathan Brutcher was also injured.
The 32-year-old surviving brother was admitted to the hospital, and it wasn’t immediately known whether he or his family have a lawyer or another representative who can speak on their behalf.
Danny Rodriguez, a neighbor, claimed to have been outside of his house across the street when shots were fired.
The fatal incident occurred a week after at least 11 police officers were shot nationwide.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit group that keeps track of police officer fatalities in the United States, 54 cops have already been shot and killed while on the job nationwide this year, as opposed to 62 in all of 2021.
(The overall number is significantly lower this year than last, primarily due to a decline in COVID-19 deaths.)
The Connecticut State Police stated they were still investigating the incident and trying to find answers to many unanswered questions. No public video of it has surfaced.
When officers responded to the report at around 10:30 p.m., they found someone outside the house, and shots were fired, according to State Police Sgt. Christine Jeltema.
Nearby residents reported hearing two or three sets of 30 or more gunshots.
Schalitda Strong, who lives diagonally across the street, claimed she hid in her room “because it sounded so near,” but cops had already arrived when she dialed 911.
Who started the shooting, who fired the fatal shots, or how many shots were fired overall have not yet been disclosed by the police.
Demonte, 35, was a 10-year veteran of the force and shared the 2019 Officer of the Year honor in his department.
The chief noted that over his eight years on the police department in his hometown, Hamzy, 34, had received numerous letters of praise.
Hamzy served as a mentor for a police cadet program, just like Demonte.
According to a statement from Hamzy’s family, “the outpouring of love, support, and prayers from so many is truly appreciated.”
Cops blocked a street and followed a car leaving the shooting scene with Hamzy’s body late on Thursday morning. In a hospital, Demonte passed away.
The head claimed that Iurato, 26, who has a bachelor’s degree in government, law, and national security, joined the Bristol department in 2018.
Iurato was discharged from the hospital early on Thursday.
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