In a chilling turn of events captured on bodycam footage, a man angrily confronted police officers hours before orchestrating an ambush that led to the deaths of two policemen in Connecticut. The tragic incident occurred in October 2022 when Lt. Dustin DeMonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy responded to what turned out to be a hoax 911 call, resulting in their fatal shootings. Earlier that night, the perpetrator, Nathan Brutcher, had been involved in a bar altercation that escalated in the parking lot, leading to police intervention.
The responding officers found themselves dealing with Nathan and his intoxicated brother Nicholas, who was notably aggressive and verbally abusive. Despite being ticketed for creating a public disturbance, the situation escalated with Nicholas making inflammatory remarks like ‘I could outrun this motherf***er’ while attempting to incite a fight. Nathan attempted to deescalate the tension by suggesting the officers handcuff his brother.
Unbeknownst to the police, the situation would take a deadly turn. An hour after the confrontation, Nicholas placed a 911 call feigning concern for his brother, which tragically led three officers, including DeMonte and Hamzy, to their doorstep. Nicholas, who was hiding in ambush, opened fire as the officers approached, killing DeMonte and Hamzy and injuring Officer Alec Iurato in the leg. Officer Iurato managed to return fire, fatally wounding Nicholas.
A comprehensive investigation by The Office of the Inspector General later concluded that the tragic events of that night were likely precipitated by the earlier altercation with the police. The report stressed, “It must be emphasized that Nicholas Brutcher is the murderer here. It would be wrong to place any blame for the attack on the traffic stop officers or others in Nicholas Brutcher’s life.”
Newly released dashcam footage provided a harrowing view of the moments leading up to the ambush, showing Nicholas hiding in the bushes as police approached. Additional footage captured the earlier interaction where Nicholas mocked an officer’s stature and bragged about his earnings compared to those in law enforcement.
In a tragic twist during the shooting, Nicholas was heard shouting, “How proud are you of me? How proud?”—a chilling echo of his earlier conversation where he boasted about his parents’ pride in him. This haunting question remains a stark reminder of the events leading to that fatal night.