Boundless love and gratitude shared as many thousand attend funeral of fallen Bristol police officers

In an expression of boundless grief and gratitude, tens of thousands paid tribute to the lives of Bristol Police Department officers Lt. Dustin DeMonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy on Friday at a joint funeral at Rentschler Field at Pratt and Whitney Stadium in East Hartford.

One after another, family members and friends on the stage in the middle of the field spoke of their profound love and the devastating pain left behind for the two fallen officers.

“Dustin, my love, baby, pain in the butt,” Laura DeMonte, Dustin’s pregnant wife and mother of his other two children, said through tears. “The kids and I are honored to call you ours. You loved us so hard and we felt that love every single day. I know you felt that love in return.

“I remember thinking while we were at the beach, the park, the store, on a walk, playing outside in our yard or just sitting on the couch, really anywhere that this is the best life can ever get, that my heart is just so happy,” she said. “And there couldn’t have been truer words. Our family was as perfect as it could be because it had you. You made everything better. Thank you for these beautiful children, wonderful memories we will cherish forever, an amazing life and the deepest, purest, most special love that I have ever felt.”

Bristol Officer Zachary Levine, Brian Tencza and Mark Ferguson spoke of DeMonte’s unwavering loyalty, his love to dance (including an uncomfortably long twerk at a wedding, according to Levine) and the wonderful mischievousness that only longtime friends could share.

“Dustin was the most pure soul from Day 1,” Ferguson, who knew DeMonte for 20 years, said. “I gravitated toward his friendship immediately. ... He was the epitome of a friend: selfless and relentlessly caring. ... He would never change no matter who was around him. He was our rock. He was his family’s rock. He was everyone’s rock.”

Ahmad Hamzy, Alex’s father, initially spoke before his nephew, William Hamzy, stepped in to finish for his uncle.

Ahmad Hamzy said Alex was “the all-American boy.”

“God blessed us with Alex for 34 years and we’re eternally grateful for that,” Ahmad said through William. “Obviously we wish we had him for a lot longer, but sometimes when things like this happen, we can only believe it is God’s will. …

“Our names are Ahmad and Selma, but if we’re known for the rest of our lives as Alex Hamzy’s parents, it would be the highest honor which we could ever achieve. We love you Alex more than life itself, and we will meet up with you at some point in time.”

Ahmad said how much his son, after not being able to join the Coast Guard due to a disqualifying allergy, wanted to not just become a police officer, but a Bristol police officer, as he grew up in town and graduated from Bristol Eastern High School.

While waiting for an opening at the department, Alex Hamzy worked several jobs, including construction and in his father’s restaurant, Crystal Diner.

At the restaurant, Alex Hamzy’s main job was to make toast on weekends, according to his father. Alex took the job so seriously and did it so well, customers took note and gave him a trophy calling him “The Toastmaster.” Alex, his father said, displayed that trophy proudly.

Alex Hamzy, who worked closely with the restaurant’s chef, bought the initial supply of diapers when he learned the chef’s wife was pregnant.

“For everyone who has children knows, there are a lot of diapers in the initial supply,” Ahmad Hamzy said through his nephew. “He was a generous, kind, caring and thoughtful person.”

Alex also came up with the idea to provide the Lebanese town where his father was originally from with solar lights, as electricity was sporadic so people could gather in the middle of town once the sun went down.

“That’s the way Alex was,” Ahmad Hamzy said. “He always thought of others before he thought of himself, especially when it came to kids.”

Kate Scott Hamzy, Alex’s wife, tearfully read a quote she said she came across when her husband first became a police officer.

“When I see this badge, it is not just a number,” she said. “It signifies honor and it has my respect. This badge that I proudly stand behind lies on his chest close to his heart because this call on his life as an officer takes heart. So now you may know my officer as a number. No, he is far more than that. He is my hero, my protection, the love of my life and of course, my heart. I love you Alex.”

Alex Hamzy’s sisters, Donna Hamzy Carroccia and Rania Hamzy Audi, called their younger brother their best friend. He would dutifully help with moving a piece of furniture or dress up as the Red Power Ranger to go trick-or-treating with his nephews.

“He always had our backs,” Carroccia said.

They also thanked the community for the support their family has received.

“And while we are so incredibly grateful for this outpouring of kindness, we still experience a sense of despair that slowly creeps over our hearts every time the door opens, because we know it will never be our brother coming in to greet us again,” Carroccia said.

Jeff Scott, Alex Hamzy’s father-in-law, delivered impassioned remarks calling for unity and support for police officers.

Before family members spoke, Bristol Chief of Police Brian Gould described Hamzy and DeMonte as true leaders who were exceptional officers.

“Words cannot express the grief that we are experiencing,” Gould said. “The anger, confusion, frustration, fear, uncertainty and overall sadness.”

Gould said they loved being police officers.

“Both of them were always smiling and or laughing, and they brought much joy and happiness to the Bristol Police Department and the community of Bristol,” Gould said.

The service concluded with the final calls for Hamzy, Badge 245, and DeMonte, Badge 221.

Helicopters flew over the stadium, and the widows were presented with the flags that had been draped over the caskets, which were ultimately taken from the field.

The funeral was the culmination of more than a week of mourning statewide following the Oct. 12 shooting outside a Redstone Hill Road home in Bristol during which DeMonte and Hamzy were killed and Officer Alec Iurato was wounded. The officers responded to the home around 10:30 p.m. in what officials suspect was a false 911 call involving a dispute between brothers.

Iurato, who was shot in the leg, subsequently killed the alleged gunman, Nicholas Brutcher; Iurato was released from the hospital last week.

Before the service began, Iurato carried the United States Honor Flag, which was present at Ground Zero and was on board the final flight of the U.S. space shuttle.

Ahmad Hamzy called Iurato a “true American hero” for his actions on Oct. 12.

“Officer Iurato’s brave actions undoubtedly prevented further deaths from occurring, saving the lives of Bristol police officers and the community from immediate death. We are so proud he is here with us today.”

The deaths of two beloved police officers shattered the close-knit city of 61,000, resulting in an outpouring of support and anguish in equal measure.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Gould posthumously promoted DeMonte to lieutenant and Hamzy to sergeant.

He then asked those in attendance to provide the officers’ families with a standing ovation.

Scores of law enforcement officials from around the northeast attended the service, which was also live-streamed online.

Gov. Ned Lamont, who attended the service, offered his condolences.

“It was an honor for me to attend this touching ceremony today and listen to the beautiful tributes to these two officers,” Lamont said. “Lieutenant DeMonte and Sergeant Hamzy are heroes and served with integrity and courage. We will forever keep them and their families in our hearts. My prayers are with their families, their friends, and the members of the Bristol Police Department.”

The sheer number of mourners gathering in East Hartford delayed the service for an hour.

DeMonte, 35, is survived by his two children, Phoebe and Porter, and his wife, Laura, who is expecting a third child.

He was a 10-year veteran who was promoted to sergeant only a year ago. He had previously served as a resource officer at both Greene-Hills and West Bristol schools, and earned a Silver Star and Officer of the Month commendation for his work on patrol.

In 2019, he and Officer Levine were honored for saving an unconscious man in cardiac arrest in a Goodwin Street apartment. They both did CPR and restored his pulse before an ambulance arrived to take him to a hospital.

Hamzy, a lifelong Bristol resident, married his wife, Kate, last year. He had been a patrol officer for eight years and served on the regional emergency response team.

In 2016, he was given the police Silver Star for catching two burglary suspects while patrolling Page Park. They were in a van stolen during a burglary in New Hampshire, and had just burglarized a Farmington restaurant.

That same year, Hamzy also received a Lifesaving Commendation along with officers Dan Dwyer and Kevin Cyr for rescuing an unconscious 41-year-old man in cardiac arrest. They did CPR until an ambulance arrived.

DeMonte and Hamzy were the first Bristol officers to be killed on the job since 1944. The Connecticut Law Enforcement Memorial lists 52 law enforcement officers across the state killed by gunfire since 1855.

Only once before were two officers in Connecticut killed in a single shooting: In 1935, Bridgeport Sgt. Thomas Kearney and Officer Wilfred Walker were shot as they chased an armed burglar down a city street.

Courant senior writer Don Stacom contributed to this report.