Police Officer Awarded For Role In Oxford Shooting Suspect Arrest

OXFORD, CT — A Trumbull police officer was recently awarded for his role in the arrest of a shooting suspect in Oxford earlier this year.

Trumbull Police Lt. Brian Weir said in a news release Officer Quinn Gagstetter was presented with a letter of commendation by First Selectman George Temple for his help arresting a suspect that recklessly discharged a gun from the passenger's side of a moving vehicle.

According to Weir, Gagstetter was driving along Route 67 north in Oxford the evening of Jan. 28 while off-duty when a passenger of the car in front of him began to randomly fire a handgun out the window.

Gagstetter immediately called an emergency number and continued to follow the car to the Little River Shopping Center parking lot while providing updates to police, Weir said.

While waiting for Oxford police to arrive at the parking lot, Gagstetter maintained visual contact with the suspect, Weir said.

When an Oxford police officer arrived, he met with Gagstetter and learned he was also armed. The officer then asked Gagstetter to provide cover for him while he approached the shooting suspect, Weir said.

Gagstetter assisted the officer in arresting the intoxicated suspect, Weir said. Police recovered the handgun from the suspect's waistband, which had a bullet in the chamber and two bullets remaining in the magazine.

"The actions of both officers demonstrated the highest standards of training and law enforcement," Weir said in a news release, "and were able to safely apprehend a reckless and dangerous individual without anyone being injured."

Gagstetter has been a member of the Trumbull Police Department since 2016, where he is assigned to the patrol division, and he is also an active member of the U.S. Coast Guard. The letter was presented to him on March 1.