Robert Fumiatti was a 35-year-old New Haven police officer shot in the face on June 13, 2002, while on a drug raid with the Street Interdiction Unit in the Hill neighborhood. Officers had exited their van to investigate what appeared to be a drug transaction when a single gunshot struck Fumiatti. The shooter was identified as convicted felon Arnold Bell, who was captured after a massive manhunt the next morning.

Fumiatti survived the initial surgery and returned to duty in 2004 as a narcotics dog handler after extensive physical therapy, but his severe injuries continued to cause health setbacks. He testified at state and federal trials that resulted in Bell’s conviction and a 45-year prison sentence. On January 10, 2007, Fumiatti died from an undiagnosed heart ailment; his family and the department believed the condition stemmed from the trauma and stress of the shooting. After the family’s campaign his death was reclassified as a line-of-duty fatality and his name added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.