A firefighter from Long Beach, California, was shot dead whilst fighting a fire with his colleagues, according to a local media.
The incident occurred shortly after 4 am on Monday morning as firefighters were responding to a call about an explosion at a care home for the elderly in the town. Residents had called the emergency services after smelling a strong odour of gas. On arrival, the firefighters discovered a fire that had just started in one of the building’s rooms. Whilst they were carrying out their operations, they came under fire.
Captain Dave Rosa, 45, was fatally shot, whilst another firefighter was injured. He was rushed to the nearest hospital and remains in a stable condition, according to Long Beach Fire Chief Mike Duree. “This is a very difficult day for us,” he told CNN. “Firefighters are usually expected to face fire, not bullets. It is a very sad day for the city of Long Beach,” said police spokesman Brad Johnson.
One person has been arrested in connection with this case and the murder weapon has been recovered, according to Chief of Police Robert Luna.
It is with deep sadness and immense grief that we announce that Captain David Rosa has died as a result of injuries sustained from a gunshot wound he received during an emergency incident. Captain Rosa is a 17-year veteran of our department and is based at Station 10. pic.twitter.com/np03fecLQb
— Long Beach Fire (CA) (@lbfd) 25 June 2018
Ernesto Torres, a 12-year veteran, was the second LBFD firefighter to be shot this morning. Ernesto was treated and discharged from St Mary’s Medical Centre. pic.twitter.com/ftHRH8vmhl
— Long Beach Fire (CA) (@lbfd) 25 June 2018