'How Proud Are You of Me?' Connecticut Man Accused of Killing Two Cops in Front of His Parents
A man allegedly killed two police officers who responded to his home after receiving a 911 call, police said. The shooter was later killed by a cop who was at the scene in Bristol with the victims, according to a police report.
Nicholas Brutcher reportedly shot dead Bristol Police Sgt. Dustin DeMonte and Officer Alex Hamzy after they arrived at his residence on October 12, 2022, Fox reported.
Nicholas Brutcher was fatally shot by Officer Alec Iurato, in an attempt to stop him from causing more harm, police said.
Robert Devlin, Inspector General, Bristol Police Department, came out with a report regarding the case.
As per the report, the day of the shooting, Nicholas Brutcher, and his brother Nathan Brutcher, went to the Bleachers Bar on Middle Street around 7:30 p.m.
The conflict started when a bar patron put his hand around Nicholas Brutcher, who then elbowed him. The pair ultimately took the fight outside, a bartender told investigators, the IG report stated.
A bartender allegedly called Bristol police after seeing Nicholas Brutcher allegedly punching the patron in the head, the police report claimed. One of Nicholas Brutcher's friends, who was in the bar at the time, shared that Nicholas Brutcher was, "someone who liked to fight, even in his adult life, and a gun enthusiast."
After learning about the dispute, Nathan Brutcher stepped out of the bar. The brothers then exited the premises in a truck, according to the police report.
Police claimed to have arrived at the bar shortly before 9 p.m. according to the report. The man involved in the fight reportedly did not want to press charges. Officers stopped the truck carrying the Brutcher brothers in the area of Bayberry Drive and Surrey Drive.
The report claims that Nicholas Brutcher was verbally abusive to the officers during the stop, allegedly using a racial epithet and making a homophobic remark to the officers, the IG report said.
Police towed the truck and called their mother, Catrina Brutcher, to pick them up, according to the report. Catrina Brutcher told investigators that she told Nicholas Brutcher, "You're embarrassing me," and "You know our name in Bristol means a lot to us as a family."
Nicholas Brutcher reportedly came back home, called 911, and told the police that his brother was acting aggressively, according to the report. Responding to the call, police officers DeMonte, Hamzy, and Alec Iurato made their way to the door when Nicholas Brutcher ambushed them from nearby bushes and began shooting an AR-15 rifle, the IG report said.
The parents, Joseph and Catrina Brutcher, witnessed the bloodshed. "How proud are you of me? How proud?" Nicholas Brutcher said as he pulled the trigger, according to the report.
"I don’t think I ever screamed like that before in my life," Catrina Brutcher told investigators, per the report. "My son walked over to one of the officers that was down and just shot him point blank in his head. I was just screaming at him to stop."
Alec Lurato was hit in the leg but managed to take down Nicholas Brutcher with a single shot, the report shows.
Friends and relatives of Nicholas Brutcher told investigators that the man had become suicidal in months leading up to the shooting, Fox reported.
As per the report, Nicholas Brutcher's phone was submitted for analysis. The analysis revealed that a dating application called "Grindr" for the LGBTQ community was repeatedly installed and uninstalled on his device. The report suggests he wanted to keep this aspect of his life a secret.
"The analysis of Nicholas Brutcher’s phone, interviews of family/friends, and a comprehensive review of all collected evidence provided insight into the stressors of Nicholas Brutcher’s life that likely contributed to the ambush attack on officers," the report alleged.