Shooter 'ambushes' and kills two Connecticut police officers after making false 911 domestic violence call
BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT: Two Connecticut police officers were shot and killed in an apparent ambush on Wednesday, October 12, state police reported, adding a third cop was seriously injured.
According to Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Bristol police officers Dustin DeMonte, 35, and Alex Hamzy, 34, were killed while responding to a domestic violence emergency call at a house late on Wednesday night.
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Police sources claim that the shooter dialled 911, potentially claiming a false domestic violence situation at the residence, before engaging the cops in an apparent ambush with an AR-15-style weapon.
According to authorities, the suspect was shot dead on the spot. Police said that the brother of the suspect, who was also shot, is currently being treated at a hospital.
At a press conference, Bristol police chief Brian Gould stated, "Our community has been rocked."
DeMonte "was assigned to our patrol division and was a school resource officer," the chief stated. "He was also an adviser for the Bristol police explorer cadet program. Throughout his career he has received several awards, including the Silver Star, officer of the month and co-recipient for Officer of the Year in 2019."
"Throughout his career, he received numerous letters of commendation and recognition. He was assigned to our central region Emergency Response Team and was also one of our cadet advisers," Gould said.
Alec Iurato, a 26-year-old police officer who was shot, underwent surgery for his serious bullet wound and is now healing, according to Gould.
"This is a senseless tragedy, and my prayers are with their families, loved ones, and fellow officers. I also ask the residents of Connecticut to keep in their prayers a third officer who was shot and is currently in the hospital with serious injuries," the governor said in a statement. "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. These officers are heroes."
According to the chief, DeMonte has a wife, two children, and was pregnant with their third child, while Alex Hamzy, a Bristol native lived with his wife.
Ned Lamont issued an order for all flags in Connecticut to be flown at half-staff.
The agency shared updates regarding the issue on their official page.
UPDATE: 2 officers were fatally shot and 1 is with serious injuries. We ask your thoughts and prayers be with the families, the officer and all those impacted.
— CT State Police (@CT_STATE_POLICE) October 13, 2022
An eyewitness described the rapid shooting as scary.
“We just, like, hearing the gunshots like ‘pop pop pop pop pop pop’ up and stop, and then stop for maybe 30 seconds and then another round ‘pop pop pop pop pop’ and then it just stopped. And then [we] started hearing sirens and everything else,” Ted Krawiec told the New York Post
“It’s scary, especially Bristol is a peaceful town and it’s scary to hear something like this is happening here,” he added.
A resident Robyn Lauzon who lives nearby described the neighbourhood as a 'warzone'
“It was horrible. I heard three rounds of nine or 10 gunshots each,” she said, according to the Middletown Press.
According to her, she was awakened by a loud staccato sound on Wednesday at approximately 10:45 pm. At first, she thought it was the voice of someone knocking on her door, but later she realised it was the sound of the gunfire.
“It was scary as hell — and the sirens were crazy. It was like a war zone,” she added.
Less than a week ago a New Haven police officer was shot and wounded while looking into a car accident, according to the Connecticut Post.
Around 1:30 am on October 7, Officer Chad Curry was shot in the ear and shoulder. He recovered and was subsequently released from the hospital, according to the news source. Later, Jose Claudio, the alleged shooter, was apprehended.
According to FBI statistics, 49 cops have been killed in the United States as of September 27. This number is fewer than the record set last year (73), but higher than the totals for the entire years of 2020 and 2019.