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Bristol police officer wins National Officer of the Month Award

The Bristol officer fatally shot an armed man who had fatally shot two other officers in October.

WASHINGTON — Bristol Police Officer Alec Iurato was named National Officer of the Month Tuesday for his actions during the ambush attack that left two other officers dead last October.

Iurato returned fire on an armed suspect who had shot and killed two of his fellow officers, Lieutenant Dustin DeMonte, and Sergeant Alex Hamzy on October 12, 2022. During the ambush, an injured Iurato pulled himself away and fired a shot that downed Nicholas Brutcher, eventually killing him. 

At the ceremony, Iuroto said he couldn't speak about the incident itself, but said, "It's a great honor. It's not where we would like to be, but we believe because of what happened, everyone can understand what officers are going through around the nation. 

According to body camera footage and the investigation, when the three officers got to the home they went to a side door and spoke with Nathan Brutcher. They then ordered Nathan to step outside and show his hands. 

As Nathan stepped out, gunfire erupted around the officers as 35-year-old Nicholas began his ambush. 

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Police said Nicholas fired over 80 rounds, attacking the officers from behind. 

DeMonte and Hamzy were fatally struck while Iurato was wounded in the leg. Despite his injury, however, Iurato managed to get away from the scene, around the house, and back to a Bristol Police Department vehicle. From that vantage point, Iurato fired one shot. 

That one shot struck and killed Nicholas. 

State police had said in one of the releases that the 911 call reporting the domestic disturbance might have been placed to "lure" officers to the home.

Doug Stewart is the Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.

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