USA TODAY International Edition
Firefighter, ambulance crew shot in series of attacks
PHOENIX – A string of attacks in Arizona ended Sunday afternoon with five people shot, including one fatality, and the suspect critically wounded by a police officer, authorities said.
A 35- year- old man is accused of opening fire on an ambulance crew around 3: 45 p. m. Sunday, Tucson police Chief Chris Magnus told news outlets.
Tucson Fire crews were sent to extinguish a house fire while a team of medics were responding to a medical emergency at a park for an unrelated call, police spokesperson Sgt. Richard Gradillas told The Arizona Republic.
The medics were flagged down by a man who pointed in the direction of the house fire before opening fire and shooting both members of the ambulance crew, Gradillas said.
The driver of the ambulance, a 20year- old man, was shot in the head, and a paramedic in the passenger seat, a 21year- old woman, was shot in the chest and arm. The man is in critical condition and the woman was stable.
The suspect also is allegedly drove to the nearby house fire and shot at firefighters and neighbors trying to douse the flames, the chief said. One neighbor was fatally shot in the head. A firefighter was shot in the arm, and another bullet grazed a neighbor’s head. The firefighter was released from the hospital and in “good condition,” according to a tweet from the Tucson Fire Department.
A “badly burned” body was found inside the home, and “two or three” children who lived there were missing, Magnus said. Gradillas later said that all the children who were reported missing have been found by police.
A police officer responding to the scene encountered the suspect a couple blocks away, the chief said. Police said the suspect rammed his SUV into the officer’s vehicle and opened fire. The officer returned fire and shot the suspect, critically wounding him, the chief said. The officer was not injured.
“This is a highly tragic, really horrific incident, with many unknowns,” Magnus said.
The investigation was ongoing. It was unclear what prompted the attacks.