UPDATE: Police give Jacksonville firehouses extra attention after shooting targets firefighters
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UPDATE
Jacksonville police are protecting their brothers and sisters at the fire department after someone shot at two firefighters Tuesday night on the Southside.
An officer guarded the Hogan Road station all day because of the shooting.
Police said they think the shooter was in an older white box-style vehicle. In the meantime, officers are patrolling near every fire station in town and following firefighters on every call they go to – even the routine ones.
“Those men and women are unarmed, so we are taking some extra steps to ensure that those fire stations are checked, that the runs they go on, they receive some protection as they go,” (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Director Tom) Hackney said.
“It makes you feel a little bit better that they will have somebody there with a gun and to be able to protect them a little bit better,” Wyse said.
EARLIER
Larry Spruill & Amanda Warford, WJAX-TV:
According to Lt. Jackson Short of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, five or six firefighters were outside of Station 28 pumping gas at the city gas pumps next to the station at the time of the shooting.
A firefighter was hit in the arm by a ricochet bullet, but his injury is minor and he will not need stitches, Short said.
The firefighters who were outside during the shooting were not able to get a good look at the suspect vehicle because lights were in their eyes, but they did give JSO a description of tail lights.
JFRD Chief Ivan Mote said this incident may be a copycat from previous shootings on uniformed officers, not just across the country but locally as well.
“We’re concerned about the safety of our firefighters. Of course our job is to protect people from incidents such as this, so first and foremost, we want to make sure our crews are safe,” Mote said.
Joe Daraskevich & Derek Gilliam, Jacksonville.com:
“It appears the firemen were targeted,” Shorts said. “Because they are firefighters, they were on duty and the area is very well lit from the streetlights at the gas pump area.”
The car then sped off. Police did not have a description of the vehicle or the occupants.
The shooting follows the ambush deaths of two New York Police Department officers and the shooting death of a Tarpon Springs police officer over the weekend. Also, Tuesday morning a Jacksonville police officer was shot at by suspected car thieves.
Kristin Cason & Troy Blevins, WJXT-TV:
Police and firefighters said they have reason to believe that the firefighters were targeted because they were in uniform.
“I am outraged by cowardly attacks on our brave first responders. These attacks will not be tolerated,” said Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. “As mayor, I will do everything in my power to protect the firefighters and police officers who work so hard to keep us safe. We will coordinate with the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and others to safeguard our dedicated fire and police personnel. They deserve no less.”
The incident did not stop the fire station from responding to calls Tuesday night and the ladder trucks were still in use. Officials said the firefighter injured was very shaken up but said he would continue his shift Tuesday night.
