Benefit concert will raise funds for Bristol victims

SOUTHINGTON, CT (WFSB) - The Bristol community continues to reel from the deaths of two officers.

Tonight, residents came together for a special tribute performance.

Lt. Dustin DeMonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy lost their lives in a targeted attack at a Bristol home more than two weeks ago.

“Light the Night Blue” celebrated the lives of the two heroes with a performance by country artist Jordan Oaks, a Nashville recording artist and Connecticut native.

“We’re also celebrating their life. They did their service and their duty and we’re here to let people know we’re together,” said Oaks.

Friends and loved ones have shared stories and paid tribute to whom they called two fun-loving, family-centered, loyal friends that the city tragically lost.

“It hit really close to home. I have an officer that’s in Bristol PD who’s close to family and another officer who is family, so it hit close and I want to do whatever I can to help them out,” added Oaks.

The concert took place at the Cadillac Ranch restaurant, where Oaks performed his song, “he bleeds blue”.

Oaks used to be a cadet, but his song writer Pat Kelley is who wrote the hit single ‘he bleeds blue’, a story about the life and death of an officer.

“I had a vision of a woman, a wife of a policeman ironing his uniform. So the words ‘she runs her hot iron over his uniform, it’s clean and pressed with a crease, not one thread is torn’ were just given to me as a gift. From that point, by the end of my walk, I had a lot of the song done,” said Kelley.

Sadly, the story is a familiar one for these officers.

Elizabeth Miller works for Yale PD and came to support.

“It’s so hard, I can’t even. We’re all going to be crying tonight, we need the tissues,” said Miller.

After the national anthem, Bristol Police Chief Brian Gould also took the stage.

“We feel your love, we feel your appreciation. You’re protecting us and we thank you,” said Chief Gould.

If people are unable to attend but want to donate, click here for the official fundraiser page.

Half of all proceeds tonight are going to the families of Lt. Dustin DeMonte and Sgt. Hamzy.

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