Officials announced that a firefighter was killed while fighting a dumpster fire in Stockton on Monday morning.
Captain Max Fortuna (47), was taken to a local hospital, where he was declared dead. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Stockton Fire Department responded at 4:45 AM Monday to a call for a dumpster fire. Shots rang out as they attempted to put the flame out, striking Fortuna.
Stockton Fire Chief Rick Edwards described the shooting as his “worst nightmare.”
Edwards stated, “This is a very, extremely sad day for the fire department.”
A 67-year old man was arrested and a gun recovered from the scene.
Joe Silva, spokesperson for Stockton Police Department, stated that detectives are still trying to determine what caused the shooting at 1:00 PM PT.
Silva stated that Silva did not believe there was a motive. “We don’t know if they knew one another or not.”
Fortuna was a Stockton Fire Department veteran for 21 years.
Max was a firefighter who always showed up on time and never complained about his job. Mario Gardea, President of Stockton Professional Firefighters Union, said Monday that he doesn’t know many firefighters who love the job as much.
