Saturday marks two years since tragedy struck Bristol as Sergeant Alex Hamzy and Lieutenant Dustin DeMonte were killed in the line of duty on Oct. 12, 2022. The police department is honoring their memories by unveiling a public display and holding a private ceremony in memory of them.
In the days and weeks after the deaths of Sgt. Hamzy and Lt. DeMonte, people showed their grief and their support for the police department and turned a police vehicle that was parked in front of the police department into a makeshift memorial that grew bigger by the day.
The Bristol Police Memorial Committee preserved the doors of that cruiser and they were unveiled in the lobby of the police department Friday as a permanent display to honor and remember the sacrifice Lt. DeMonte and Sgt. Hamzy made as well as the outpouring of support from the community.
The doors hold hundreds of messages of love and support for Sgt. Hamzy and Lt. DeMonte.
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Demonte’s cousin, Phil Pessina, commended Bristol for how they have honored his loved one and his family.
“I have confidence that he is looking down and smiling because Bristol has really done a beautiful job for my cousin and for the family,” Pessina said.
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The police department said members of the public who wish to see the display in the lobby and remember Lt. DeMonte and Sgt. Hamzy may do so at any time following the unveiling event.
The police chief said there is a similar memorial of the other two doors upstairs.
Then on Saturday, the Bristol Police Department Union will hold a private wreath-laying ceremony in honor of Sgt. Hamzy and Lt. DeMonte.
“Please keep all the members of the Bristol Police Department, as well as the DeMonte and Hamzy families in your thoughts and prayers during this time,” Bristol Police Chief Mark R. Morello said in a Facebook post.
“On behalf of the Bristol Police Department, I would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to our community for its continued support of our agency and those who work and sacrifice so much to keep it safe each and every day,” Morello added.
The department's former chief was at the ceremony on Friday.
“They had so much love and so much caring that they were able to share with so many people and impact so many lives in such a positive way,” said former Bristol Police Chief Brian Gould. “It’s really a shame when people's lives are just taken way too quickly, because there was so much more they could do, but their memory carries on."
