EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Thousands of people and first responders from across the country made their way to Rentschler Field to say goodbye to fallen officers Lt. Dustin DeMonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy.
DeMonte and Hamzy, who served with the Bristol Police Department, were shot and killed in the line of duty last Wednesday.
The joint funeral was held inside the East Hartford stadium due to the expected crowd.
Loved ones of DeMonte and Hamzy shared their love for them through tears.
"He is my hero, my protection and the love of my life," said Katie Hamzy, the wife of Alex Hamzy.
"Dustin, my love. The kids and I are honored to call you ours. You loved us so hard," said Laura DeMonte, Wife of Dustin DeMonte.
DeMonte and Hamzy were officially posthumously promoted during the service, with Dustin DeMonte now a Lt. and Alex Hamzy now a Sgt.
Officer Alec Iurato was also honored at the service for saving more lives from being lost after shooting and killing the suspect that police say ambushed the responding police officers. Iurato even walked without his crutches to deliver what’s known as the United States honor flag onto Rentschler Field.
The honor flag is a traveling memorial flag that’s been to the battlefields of conflict and to ground zero on 9/11.
Rentschler seats 40,000 people in the stands with 1,500 seats on the field.
Honor guards from the state police, Bristol police, and Bristol fire department will also be on the field, and Bristol officers served as pallbearers, carrying their brothers in blue onto the field.
They anticipate backups on Silver Lane from Main Street over to the Manchester border. Surrounding streets including Simmons Road and Roberts will also like have slowdowns.
Here are the details for the funeral and processions:
Traffic impacts
State Police announced Friday the road closures that will take place for Friday's funeral processions. The processions for each officer will begin at 8:35 a.m. with an expected arrival time at Rentschler Field of 10 a.m. Drivers should expect delays on these routes:
Route 1 – The procession for Lt. DeMonte will begin at the North Haven Funeral Home on Washington Avenue and proceed to Interstate 91. The vehicles will then exit onto I-691 West, then to I-84 East, exiting at the stadium grounds via Exit 58.
Following the services, the procession will travel from Rentschler Field back to the North Haven Funeral Home. The route will be Route 15 South (From Silver Lane), to I-91 South to Exit 12.
Route 2 – The procession for Sgt. Hamzy will begin at the Scott Funeral Home following Route 6 to Colt Highway. The motorcade will proceed to I-84 East and exit at the stadium grounds via Exit 58.
Following the service, the procession will travel the reverse route back to the Scott Funeral Home: I-84 West, to Exit 38, then Route 6 to the Scott Funeral Home.
Rentschler Field is located at 615 Silver Lane, East Hartford.
RELATED: 20K meals prepared for police attending Bristol officers' funeral services at Rentschler Field
PHOTOS: Remembering fallen Bristol police officers at Rentschler Field
How to watch
FOX61 News will cover the full services starting at 11 a.m. on FOX61, FOX61.com, FOX61+ and FOX61's YouTube and Facebook pages.
You can also watch a live stream here.
Hamzy and DeMonte were killed while responding to a call at a home on Redstone Hill Road around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Officer Alec Iurato was injured in the shooting.
State police said in a release that the 911 call about a dispute between two siblings appears to have been a "deliberate act to lure law enforcement" to the home.
When DeMonte, Hamzy, and Iurato arrived at the scene, they were confronted by one of the suspects, later identified as 35-year-old Nicholas Brutcher, who was outside of the home. Nicholas immediately began firing, striking all three of the officers, police said.
Police said that Iurato returned fire after being struck, which killed Brutcher.
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