Disturbing police bodycam footage has emerged showing a man identified as Nicholas Brutcher ambushing and killing two police officers. The tragic incident followed a heated altercation.
The events began when Brutcher was stopped by police for a traffic violation. His aggressive behavior during the stop led to a ticket and his car being towed. Brutcher cursed at the officers and made threatening remarks. After the traffic stop, his mother picked him up, and they returned home.
Later, Brutcher made a false 911 call, claiming his brother was acting aggressively. This prompted Sgt. Dustin DeMonte, Officer Alex Hamzy, and Officer Alec Iurato to respond to the call. Upon their arrival, Brutcher, dressed in camouflage, ambushed them with an AR-15 rifle.
Brutcher fired 83 rounds in total, including 59 from the AR-15 and 24 from a 9mm handgun. Officer Iurato managed to survive the attack. Unfortunately, Sgt. DeMonte and Officer Hamzy lost their lives in the ambush.
Reports indicate that Brutcher's blood alcohol level was .234, three times the legal limit. The tragic incident has sent shockwaves through the community, raising questions about the circumstances leading up to the deadly ambush and the role of alcohol in Brutcher's actions.
Police reported that Nicholas Brutcher, 35, was shot dead, and his brother Nathan Brutcher was wounded in a recent incident. Nathan, 32, was hospitalized. It remains unclear if he or his family have an attorney or someone to speak on their behalf.
Neighbor Danny Rodriguez, who lives across the street, described the chaotic scene. "I heard a whole war going on behind me," he said. "It was so loud and crazy."
Rodriguez recalled hearing a woman scream, "You... killed them!" during the ordeal.
This deadly encounter occurred during a week when at least 11 police officers were shot across the country. According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit tracking U.S. police officer deaths, 54 officers have died by gunfire so far this year, compared to 62 in all of 2021. This year's overall number of officer deaths is lower than last year's, largely due to a decline in COVID-19-related fatalities.
