On-duty Chicago firefighter shot. Victim is fire investigator at the scene of a fire.
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According to TV news reports, an 18-year veteran of the Chicago Fire Department was shot in the side early this morning. It is unclear if he was the intended target.
The firefighter is assigned as an investigator. He was walking alone in an alley at the scene of a small fire when he was wounded. He underwent surgery this morning. The firefighter is in his 40s and is in serious, but stable condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
From WBBM-TV:
Firefighters said they were responding to a fire at a home in the 2900 block of East 80th Place; someone had tossed some type of accelerant at the house.
After the fire was out, a fire investigator was alone outside when someone opened fire. He’s an 18-year veteran and has worked in fire investigation for about three or four years.
Resident Richard Thomas heard the gunfire. “Rapid fire. And then it was quiet,” Thomas said.
Neighbors said a second burst of gunfire ended up hitting a firefighter.
Fire Commissioner Raymond Orozco said, “One of our investigators was working at about 4:36 this morning. There were shots fired in the neighborhood and this individual was struck once in the left side below the rib cage with a bullet.”
Neighbors said it’s an area where someone pulls a trigger everyday. They were sad to see the violence turn against those who serve the community.
“We depend on them for our lives. You know, we have to call the police when there’s crimes. If there’s a fire we have to call the fire department and they’re not safe,” Thomas said.
Asked when a firefighter had last been shot on the job, Orozco said, “It’s been a long time. I’ve got to go back in memory a long time; going back I’m thinking about when a fire fighter was shot in the line of duty. It’s been a while so … it’s just wrong place, wrong time”.
Neighbors said there’s so much gunplay in this area between rival gangs that they can’t even sleep at night.
