WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two officers in central Connecticut were killed and another wounded while responding to a domestic disturbance between a pair of siblings that also left the shooter dead, authorities said on Thursday.
Police officers from the town of Bristol responded to a call for service at 10:30 p.m. local time and were met by the suspect outside of a residence. An exchange of gunfire fatally wounded one of the officers as well as the suspect, Connecticut State Police spokesperson Christine Jeltema said at a news briefing.
The two other officers were rushed to area hospitals, where one of them died. The suspect’s brother was also shot and taken to the hospital, she said.
“Words cannot express the sadness and grief that brings me before you this morning,” Bristol Police Chief Brian Gould said as his voice briefly cracked.
Sergeant Dustin Demonte, 35, and Officer Alex Hamzy, 34, were killed, while Officer Alec Iurrato was wounded.
“Our community has been rocked, our police department has been rocked,” he said, calling the fallen officers “heroes.”
Gould did not identify the shooter or his brother.
The shooting occurred about a half-mile from the headquarters of the ESPN sports television network in the community of 700,000 people, located about 20 miles southwest of Hartford, the state capital.
(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bernadette Baum)
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