West Haven Honors Late Officer By Retiring Hockey Jersey

WEST HAVEN, CT — West Haven honored one of its own by retiring the No. 8 hockey jersey worn by the late Robert Fumiatti during his playing days with the Blue Devils in an emotional pre-game ceremony at the Edward L. Bennett Rink on Wednesday night. Fumiatti, who graduated from West Haven High in 1989, was shot in the face while working as a New Haven Police officer in 2002. He survived the gunshot wound and eventually returned to the force as a narcotics dog handler.

Fumiatti died from a heart condition in 2007 at the age of 35. The city treated his death as being in the line of duty, according to the New Haven Register. The West Haven Board of Education voted unanimously earlier this month to retire Fumiatti’s number.

Stacey Fumiatti, Robert Fumiatti’s wife, told Dan Nowak of GameTimeCT that she was overwhelmed to see Robert honored in this way. She said that Robert’s name was placed on a memorial wall in Washington, D.C., in what was prestigious honor but having his hockey number retired in his hometown might be an even better honor, according to Nowak.

Read more about the emotional night at GameTimeCT here.