This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/13/nyregion/bristol-connecticut-shooting.html

The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
2 Police Officers Are Killed in Connecticut Shooting 2 Police Officers Are Killed in Connecticut Shooting
(about 2 hours later)
Two police officers were killed and another was seriously wounded while responding to a call in Bristol, Conn., the authorities said early Thursday. Two police officers were shot and killed on Wednesday night and another was seriously injured while responding to a call in Bristol, Conn., officials said. A person suspected of opening fire was also killed at the scene, the police said.
State Police officials identified the slain officers as Dustin Demonte, 35, a 10-year veteran, and Alex Hamzy, 34, who had eight years on the job. The Connecticut State Police identified the slain officers as Dustin Demonte, 35, and Alex Hamzy, 34, both members of the Bristol Police Department.
A third officer, Alec Iurato, 26, hired in 2018, was also shot, State Police officials said and was recovering after surgery at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford. The third officer, Alec Iurato, 26, suffered a severe gunshot wound, Chief Brian Gould of the Bristol Police Department said at a news conference. Mr. Iurato, who was hired as an officer in 2018, was taken to surgery at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, the chief said. Local news reports said that he was released from the hospital at around 11 a.m.
“Words cannot express the sadness and grief that brings me before you this morning,” said Chief Brian Gould of the Bristol Police Department. “Sadly, we lost two exceptional police officers, and a third was seriously injured as a result of senseless violence.” “Words cannot express the sadness and grief that brings me before you this morning,” Chief Gould said, calling the shooting an act of “senseless violence.”
The officers were called to a house in Bristol, a town in central Connecticut about 80 miles northeast of New York City, about 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday after receiving a call about a possible domestic incident between two siblings, Sgt. Christine Jeltema of the Connecticut State Police said.
The Hartford Courant reported that the suspect was shot dead at the scene. When the officers arrived, the suspect was standing outside the home on Redstone Hill Road and began firing, Sergeant Jeltema said. One officer was shot and pronounced dead at the scene. A second was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut ordered flags in the state lowered to half-staff. He called the shooting a “devastating” reminder of the dangers that police officers face. The suspect has not yet been identified, but Sergeant Jeltema said that a person was shot and killed outside the home.
The shooting occurred late Wednesday in a residential neighborhood in the Redstone Hill Road area of Bristol, a town in central Connecticut about 80 miles northeast of New York City, the television station WFSB reported. The suspect’s brother, who has also not been identified, was also shot and taken to a nearby hospital. His condition is unknown, and it was not clear whether he had been shot by the police or by his sibling.
One witness told an NBC reporter at the scene that he had heard gunshots and later a helicopter flying over the area. At the news conference, officials provided few other details. “There is so much unknown with this investigation. This is very complex,” Sgt. Jeltema said.
The Courant reported that the shooting happened after the police responded to an altercation at a bar, according to a person connected to the city whom the newspaper did not name. Officers then drove to a house about a mile away to talk to someone involved in the dispute, and apparently were ambushed, according to the person. The New York Times has not independently confirmed the report. Ronald Legere, a neighbor, said he had heard as many as 15 gunshots. Though he did not see the shooting, he said, “What I heard simultaneously was the gunshots and the screaming.”
The shooting happened near ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol. A parking lot on the network’s north campus was used as a staging area overnight. Melissa Hebenstreit, whose house faces the location of the shooting, said she called 911.
At a news conference on Thursday morning, officials with the Connecticut State Police provided few other details about the shooting. “When I walked outside, I could smell the gun smoke,” she said tearfully on Thursday morning, adding that she knew the two slain officers.
“There is so much unknown with this investigation. This is very complex,” said Sgt. Christine Jeltema, a spokeswoman with the State Police. “It seems like it’s been hours, but it’s still brand new and it’s active and ongoing.” WABC, a television station, reported that the shooting happened after the police responded to an altercation at a bar in Bristol, according to a police officer whom the station did not name. The New York Times has not independently confirmed the report.
Around 7 a.m., a motorcade of police vehicles, with emergency lights flashing, silently accompanied the two killed officers from Bristol Hospital to the medical examiner’s office in Farmington on Thursday morning. Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut ordered flags in the state lowered to half-staff. In a statement, he called the shooting a “devastating reminder of the dangers that police officers face every day.”
Hurubie Meko and Jenny Gross contributed reporting. Around 7 a.m. on Thursday, a motorcade of police vehicles, with emergency lights flashing, accompanied the body of a killed officer to the medical examiner’s office in Farmington on Thursday morning. At around 11 a.m., another police procession took a body from the crime scene to the office.
Mr. Demonte, who was hired by the Bristol police in 2012 and was promoted to sergeant last year, had served as a resource officer at the Greene-Hills School. He is survived by his wife and two children, and the couple had a third child on the way, Chief Gould said.
Mr. Hamzy, who was raised in Bristol, began working for the police department in 2014, Chief Gould said. He is survived by his wife.
Bristol, a suburban city of about 60,000, may be best known as the site of ESPN’s headquarters. A parking lot on the network’s north campus was used as a staging area overnight.
Hurubie Meko, Kristin Hussey and Jenny Gross contributed reporting.