It was an incredibly special start to Monday Night Football.
Loved ones of the two Bristol Police officers who died in the line of duty took to the sidelines in Foxborough, Mass.
The New England Patriots paid tribute to two fallen Bristol police officers, Lieutenant Dustin DeMonte and Sergeant Alex Hamzy, with a moment of silence.
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As the Patriots took on the Chicago Bears, among the crowd that packed Gillette Stadium were the officers’ families, as well as police and guests from Bristol.
“We are just very privileged to go up as a group,” said Bristol Police Chief Brian Gould.
Gould spoke with us as folks boarded the coach bus bound for Massachusetts.
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“We have had a significant loss to our family and significant hit to our family. And it’s just so important that we rally together as a family,” Gould said.
Hamzy has been described as a lifelong Patriots fan.
Making this experience possible for Bristol Police was donated tickets from team owner Robert Kraft as well as from people here in Connecticut.
“I remember waking up the morning, you know, after it happened, seeing the texts about it, and I was just, you know, my heart was broken for them,” said Tim Weber, of Granby.
Weber has a strong family connection to law enforcement and gave two tickets to the police department.
“If this does something to help them kind of take their mind off of things, even at least for a few hours, it’s, we're glad to help,” Weber said.
From the Gillette trip to the thousands who traveled to Rentschler Field for the funeral service, to growing fundraisers and the memorial, the support has been deeply appreciated.
“We are just so privileged to be part of this community and serve this community and to have that outpouring of love and caring really means a lot to us and sets us on our path for healing, as well,” Gould said.
DeMonte was a Miami Dolphins fan and the team honored him at a game last week.
