The Stockton Fire Department in California is deeply devastated. An experienced firefighter was shot Monday after a call to put out a fire in a waste container. Vidal ‘Max’ Fortuna died of his injuries in hospital.
Fortuna, in service for more than two decades, was shot before dawn. A 67-year-old man was arrested at the scene and officers found a firearm. Investigators try to find out what led to the shooting.
“This is my worst nightmare as a fire chief,” said Rick Edwards. “My message to my firefighters is to be strong, my heart breaks with yours, but we will get through this.”
“Max was a firefighter who never complained about his job. I don’t know many firefighters who enjoyed the job as much as he did,” said Edwards.
Although firefighters from the department have died fighting fires before, it may have been a sad first to see someone shot while on duty.
Hero
“The pain we feel as a community cannot be compared to the pain the Fortuna family is experiencing right now,” said Mayor Kevin Lincoln. “Fortuna was a hero.”
Dozens of police and fire vehicles escorted the dead firefighter’s body from the hospital to a funeral home. The flag at Stockton Town Hall has been flying at half-mast ever since.
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