Wounded in a hail of gunfire during an apparent ambush that killed two of his coworkers, Officer Alec Iurato managed to take careful aim from behind a police car and fire a single shot that brought down the shooting suspect last week in Bristol, Connecticut.
The inspector general’s office said Sgt. Dustin DeMonte, Officer Alex Hamzy and Iurato responded to a 911 call to the Bristol Police Department from Nicholas Brutcher at around 11 p.m. Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
When the police arrived at the house, they spoke to Nicholas’ brother, Nathan Brutcher, and told him to come out of the house.
Nicholas Brutcher then reportedly began shooting at the three officers, striking DeMonte and Hamzy in the head and torso multiple times in a barrage of more than 80 rounds, the AP reported.
Iurato was shot in the leg. In the footage from his bodycam, he can be heard calling for backup as he retreats away from the home.
“Shots fired, shots fired, more cars, send everyone,” Iurato said.
WARNING: The following video contains scenes of graphic violence and language which some may find disturbing.
[firefly_embed]
[/firefly_embed]
“Officer shot, officer shot,” Iurato reported on the radio.
Iurato’s bodycam then showed him beginning to hobble away from the house as another shot was heard.
As he limped to get behind the police cars, more shots were fired.
People can be heard shouting and screaming in the background and someone shouting “He’s dead!” It is unclear who was shouting and who they were referring to.
In the reflection of the car, Iurato can then be seen raising his gun and firing a single shot.
Iurato then reported over the radio, “Suspect down” as he hobbled back toward Brutcher’s house.
The inspector general has said that the evidence so far justifies Iurato’s shooting, News Nation Now reported.
The officers were apparently lured to the house and then ambushed, thus making Iurato’s shot justified.
Iurato’s actions were praised by retired Fairfield, Connecticut, Police Chief Gary Macnamara on Monday when he went on “Dan Abrams Live” show and talked about the incident.
“He knows he got shot. He knows that he has to try and eliminate the threat, so that he can try and save his fellow officers. So it’s important to note that, you know, it shows the strength, a sense of calmness under chaos,” Macnamara said, News Nation Now reported.
“For him to be able to take that one shot with a handgun is very significant. And the other point to notice, he says to send everybody. That’s kind of like a telltale sign that he knows it’s really, really, really bad, and he has just experienced his worst nightmare. Thankfully, he was able to survive and eliminate the threat,” Macnamara added.
Iurato had been on the police force for four years, the AP reported.
He was taken to the hospital to have his wound treated and was released on Thursday, the AP added.
The Connecticut State Police signaled their support for Iurato and honored Hamzy and Demonte’s death in a Facebook post.
The 35-year-old Demonte had been with the police for 10 years and 34-year-old Hamzy for eight years, the AP reported.
Nicholas Brutcher died from Iurato’s gunshot to his neck, which caused spinal cord damage. His brother was also wounded during the ambush, the AP reported.
Macnamara noted that the community is supporting the families of the fallen officers and honoring their memories, News Nation Now reported.
“These officers, most of them, are homegrown. So they went to the high school, they went to the area … We always want officers to be engaged in the community,” Macnamara said. “Tragically, because they are so engaged in the community, then they have families. This is going to get a lot worse with the funerals coming up.”
The circumstances surrounding the whole events and alleged ambush are still unclear as investigations continue. The fallen officers’ bodycam footage has not been released, the AP reported.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
