2 police officers fatally shot, 1 seriously wounded in Bristol, Connecticut
BRISTOL, Connecticut (WABC) -- Three Bristol, Connecticut, police officers were shot Wednesday night in what police believe was an ambush following a phony 911 call for help.
According to police sources, the incident may have started earlier in the evening when Bristol PD responded to a disorderly patron at a bar and issued a summons.
That person returned to his home, armed himself with an AR-15 style rifle, and made a fake 911 for a disturbance at his residence, the sources said.
As Bristol PD arrived, the suspect immediately fired upon them, fatally injuring two and critically injuring a third.
The suspect is dead. His brother was also shot and taken to the hospital.
"We ask your thoughts and prayers be with the families, the officer, and all those impacted," Connecticut State Police said in a statement.
Sgt. Dustin Demonte, 35, was one of the two officers fatally shot at the residence.
Demonte was hired by the Bristol Police Department in 2012 and worked in the patrol division as well as the school resource officer for Greene Hills School.
He is survived by his wife and two children with another on the way.
Officer Alex Hamzy, 34, was the second officer fatally shot and was hired by the police department in 2014.
Hamzy was raised in Bristol and is survived by his wife and parents.
Officer Alec Iurato, 26, was critically wounded and underwent surgery.
He was released from St. Francis Hospital in Hartford at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday to a sea of officer support and applause.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont posted the following statement on Twitter:
I am directing flags in Connecticut lowered to half-staff effective immediately in honor of two @BristolCTPolice officers who were killed in the line of duty late last night while responding to an emergency call of domestic violence at a private residence in the town. This is a senseless tragedy, and my prayers are with their families, loved ones, and fellow officers. I also ask the residents of CT to keep in their prayers a third officer who was shot and is currently in the hospital with serious injuries. 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 and will always be remembered for the honorable service they provided to their town and state.
The officers were shot during an especially violent week for police in the United States.
Five police NYPD officers were injured in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, while apprehending a domestic abduction suspect who fled police on Long Island.
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.
Early Wednesday, three Philadelphia police officers were shot and wounded at a home and a suspect was killed when a SWAT team tried to arrest a man wanted on a homicide charge, police said.
And in Decatur, Illinois, two police officers conducting a traffic stop in a central Illinois city were shot and wounded early Wednesday by a motorist who died after officers returned fire, police said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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