Inspector General’s Report On Fatal 2022 Bristol Shooting Finds Officer Was Justified

An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General concluded that officers were justified in responding with deadly force to an ambush that left two officers and the suspect dead.

The report, which was required by law because an officer used deadly force, details the events of Oct. 12, 2022. Nicholas Brutcher called the Bristol Police to report that his brother, Nathan, was being aggressive toward him. When Sgt. Dustin DeMonte and officers Alex Hamzy and Alec Iurato arrived on the scene, Brutcher opened fire on them, killing DeMonte and Hamzy and wounding Iurato, who was able to return fire. He struck Brutcher once, killing him.

“Based on the facts developed during the investigation, I have determined that Officer

Iurato’s use of deadly force was justified to defend himself, others on scene, and other

Responding Bristol police officers from serious injury or death at the hands of Nicholas Brutcher,” state Inspector General Robert J. Devlin, Jr. wrote in the 66-page report.

The report details Nicholas Brutcher’s behavior before the fatal encounter later that evening.

Brutcher and his brother Nathan went to a local bar, where Nicholas got into a physical altercation with another patron. The bartender called the police, who pulled over the two Brutcher brothers after they left the bar. The report says Nicholas Brutcher was extremely aggressive toward the officers who pulled him over.

Officer Mark McGrane, who responded to the traffic stop, spoke to the IG’s office during the investigation.

“While discussing whether Nathan Brutcher would be ‘jammed up’ for his behavior, Nicholas Brutcher became more agitated and began to approach me in a belligerent manner,” he said in testimony. “Nicholas seemed to be very agitated to the point I thought [h]e might want to harm us based on his body language and verbal attacks. I considered the movement toward me to be [in] a very quick and aggressive manner. Based on his verbal attack on myself and other officers, I believed he may have wanted to cause me harm.”

The Brutcher brothers were allowed to go home after receiving infractions for creating a public disturbance. Nicholas Brutcher then called the Bristol Police to report that his brother, Nathan, was behaving in a belligerent way. When the three officers arrived, Nicholas Brutcher was hiding at his parent’s house next door with an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun. He opened fire on the officers, striking all three and his brother, who had come out into the driveway to meet the officers.

According to the report, after officers DeMonte and Hamzy fell, Nicholas Brutcher stood over the officers and fired several shots at them. His mother, Catrina Brutcher, began screaming at Nicholas to stop. He replied, “How proud are you of me? How proud?” Officer Iurato fired and hit Nicholas Brutcher in the base of the skull, killing him.

The report notes that Nicholas Brutcher was known to have a drinking problem in the months leading up to the shooting, and that he was struggling with significant debt.

Devin concluded his analysis of Nicholas Brutcher by saying, “…the numerous stressors in Nicholas Brutcher’s life, coupled with his heavy substance use, and perceived grievance from the traffic stop, are probable motivations for his subsequent targeted act of violence against the Bristol officers. In this regard, 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.”