One Alabama firefighter is now dead and another remains in serious condition after a suspect walked into a fire station earlier this month and began shooting.

On the morning of July 12, firemen Jordan Melton, Jamal Jones, and others with the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service were at Station 9 in the Northwood area performing routine maintenance. The team had propped the bay door open, likely to make their chores easier and perhaps to increase airflow.

Unfortunately, the open door also left them vulnerable to outsiders, and around 8:30 a.m., a man walked into the building and opened fire. Melton and Jones were both struck in the attack and were raced to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital. While Jones remains at the hospital in serious condition, sadly, Melton succumbed to his injuries on July 17.

Captain Orlando Reynolds expressed the devastation he felt shortly after the shooting, a devastation that others likely shared. “In my 25 years on the job, this is my worst day,” Reynolds said at the time. “This is awful.”

 

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