On Wednesday, March 1st, Trumbull Police Officer Quinn Gagstetter was presented a letter of commendation, by Oxford, Connecticut First Selectman George Temple, for his assistance in apprehending a suspect that recklessly discharged a firearm from the passenger’s side of a moving vehicle.
On the evening of January 28, 2023, while off-duty, Officer Gagstetter was traveling on Route 67 North, in Oxford, when an occupant of the vehicle that was traveling in front of him began to randomly fire a handgun out of the window. Upon observing this, Gagstetter immediately called the emergency number and he continued to follow the vehicle while providing updates to the responding police. Gagstetter followed the vehicle to where it eventually stopped in the parking lot of the Little River Shopping Center. While awaiting for the Oxford officer’s arrival, Gagstetter maintained visual contact with the suspect. Upon the officer’s arrival, he met with Gagstetter and learned that he was also armed. The Oxford officer then asked Gagstetter to provide cover for him while he approached the shooting suspect. Gagstetter assisted the officer in making the arrest of the suspect, who was also determined to be intoxicated. Officers recovered the handgun from the suspect’s waistband, which had one (1) bullet in the chamber, and two (2) bullets remaining in the magazine. The actions of both officers demonstrated the highest standards of training and law enforcement, and were able to safely apprehend a reckless and dangerous individual without anyone being injured.
Officer 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 United States Coast Guard.