Topline
Two Connecticut state police detectives killed in a shootout on Wednesday were lured to the scene by a fake 911 call, according to state police, part of what the agency described as a “deliberate act” to ambush the officers.
Bristol, Connecticut Police Chief Brian Gould called the shooting “senseless.”
Key Facts
A preliminary investigation into the shooting, which took place around 10:30 a.m., found police officers had responded to a 911 call about a potential domestic violence incident at a house in Bristol, Connecticut.
Police say the gunman fired shots at the three officers who responded when they arrived on the scene, including one officer named Alex Hamzy who died immediately, a second officer—Dustin Demonte—who was pronounced dead after being taken to Bristol Hospital and a third—Alec Iurato—who survived the attack and is being treated for “serious wounds.”
Police said the suspect, a 35-year-old named Nicholas Brutcher, was also shot and killed on the scene, while his brother, Nathan Brutcher, was shot and transported to a hospital in Hartford.
Unnamed sources told NBC’s Connecticut affiliate Nicholas Brutcher had waited in his home after getting into a fight with his brother, holding an AR-15-style rifle.
The state police’s major crimes unit is investigating the shooting.
Crucial Quote
In a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Bristol Chief Brian Gould called the attack a “senseless act of violence.”
Key Background
The shooting was the latest in a series of recent attacks on state and local police, including a shooting in Philadelphia Wednesday that left three officers injured after a SWAT team attempted to make a homicide arrest, and another that day in Decatur, Illinois, that wounded two officers during a traffic stop. A Las Vegas officer was killed in a shootout on Thursday, responding to a domestic disturbance. In August, a gunman attempted to enter an FBI building in Cincinnati, leading to a standoff with police in which the armed man was killed, an incident that followed the FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home.
Further Reading
2 Officers Shot Dead in Connecticut After Being Lured by Fake 911 Call (New York Times)
2 Officers Killed, 1 Released From Hospital After Ambush-Style Shooting in Bristol (NBC Connecticut)
Two police officers killed, one seriously injured in ‘ambush’ shooting in Bristol (Hartford Courant)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/10/13/2-connecticut-police-officers-killed-after-fake-911-call-state-police-say/