Bristol police officer shot in ambush to be inducted into National Law Enforcement Officer Hall of Fame

Mike Mavredakis, Hartford Courant
Updated ·2 min read

Bristol Police Department officer Alec Iurato, who was one of the three officers involved in the ambush shooting on Oct. 12, will be inducted into the National Law Enforcement Officer Hall of Fame in March, according to the department.

Iurato will be honored by the Hall of Fame at an inauguration dinner on March 30 in Toledo, Ohio, with a “Courage in Service Award.” He will be one of nine inductees honored, including law enforcement personnel from Ohio, California, Texas and Virginia, among other states.

“The BPD is very proud of Alec for this well-deserved acknowledgement on the national stage,” Bristol Lt. Geoffrey Lund said in an email Wednesday.

Iurato was injured in a shooting on Redstone Hill Road in Bristol on the night of Oct. 12. He was released from the hospital the next day. Two responding police personnel, Lt. Dustin DeMonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy, were killed by Nicholas Brutcher in an ambush shooting.

Iurato fired one shot at Brutcher, hitting him in the neck and killing him, according to body camera footage released by the Office of Inspector General Robert Devlin.

“It brings us great joy to highlight the courageous men and women in law enforcement,” Hall of Fame co-founder Megan Stockburger said in a statement. “It is important that we shine a light on a side of law enforcement that we often do not get to hear about.”

A group of judges received “scores of nominations” of officers from around the country and selected nine for this year’s class. The National Law Enforcement Officer Hall of Fame was founded in 2017 to “spotlight officers who embody the best in service, valor, courage and duty,” according to a release from the organization.

“The amount of nominees from over 39 states proves how much this recognition is needed for those officers,” Hall of Fame co-founder Adam Davenport said. “We owe them a huge debt of gratitude for standing the line between good and evil on our behalf.”