Bristol police looking to hire more officers following deadly ambush

Following an apparent ambush that killed two officers, Bristol police are looking to return a sense of normalcy. That includes hiring more officers and building a permanent memorial to the victims.

News 12 Staff

Oct 26, 2022, 10:57 AM

Updated 840 days ago

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Following an apparent ambush that killed two officers, Bristol police are looking to return a sense of normalcy. That includes hiring more officers and building a permanent memorial to the victims.
Sgt. Dustin DeMonte and Officer Alex Hamzy were gunned down two weeks ago. Connecticut State Police said the officers were lured to a home on Redstone Hill Road with a fake 911 call. When they arrived, investigators said DeMonte and Hamzy came under more than 80 rounds of gunfire.
On Wednesday, Chief Brian Gould announced plans to hire up to 20 additional officers. Gould said the murders have placed a major strain on his department.
"Reallocating personnel, moving from support positions into patrol positions,” he said. “And one of the things we're going to need to do is we're going to need to hire quality police officers."
Bristol Mayor Jeff Caggiano said two funds have already raised close to $1 million for the victims' families.
"I received a check in the mayor's office,” he said. “A personal check from a gentleman in Old Saybrook for $30,000."
Outside the Bristol Police Department, a makeshift memorial keeps growing. Dana Sims brought her two young daughters to see it.
"It's amazing, and it's sad,” she said.
Caggiano said the temporary memorial will stay for a few more weeks. But starting next week, a new subcommittee will start exploring options for a permanent memorial.
Officials did not discuss the investigation itself, but said the shooting has not altered how officers respond to domestic violence calls.
"We have to do a complete debrief of what happened, and a lot of that debriefing is going to come out of what the investigation showed,” said Gould.
Connecticut’s new police inspector general is conducting the investigation. The inspector general already released a two-minute clip of body camera footage, but the events leading up to the shooting remain murky.
A third officer survived the ambush. Officer Alec Iurato killed the suspect, Nick Brutcher, with a single gunshot. Brutcher’s brother Nathaniel was also shot, but it’s unclear who shot him or when.
Iurato remains on medical leave, but Gould said he could return to desk duty soon. The inspector general cleared him of any wrongdoing within four days of the attack.
“Although some details of the investigation remain to be determined, it is evident from the evidence collected so far that Officer Iurato’s use of deadly force was justified,” inspector general Robert Devlin determined.