Firefighter Shot by Police: A Reflection

Crime scenes often have a few things in common. The police tape, TV news vans, curious onlookers and always first responders.

You can sometimes lose perspective on what our police and firefighters see, with frequency, in the course of doing their jobs. We see tragedy from the outside in. They often see it every day, up close and unvarnished. 

The crime scene in the CVS parking lot on 103rd Street and Pulaski Avenue was different. A firefighter had been shot by police officers who feared he was about to do the same to them. First responders all. Another tragedy witnessed up close and unvarnished. 

On Thursday afternoon a call was placed by a firefighter's wife who told the operator that she was on the phone with her husband who was speaking about suicide, according to Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Pat Camden. She said he owned a gun and was not sure where it was. 

His black SUV was found parked in the 103rd Street CVS parking lot. He was reclined in his seat, talking on a cell phone with only that hand visible, Camden said. 

Officers shouted that everything was going to be OK. The firefighter got out of the car, made the sign of the cross and entered what police describe as a "combat stance." He had an object in his hand. Officers fired, striking him. 

As he was loaded into the ambulance he told a police sergeant, "Thank you for doing what I wanted you to do," Camden said. 

It's a tragedy all around. For the firefighter's family, for his family in the department and for all those who know him. It's also a tragedy for the officers who pulled the trigger. A police review will be conducted, as is the case in every police shooting. It's probably a day that none of the officers or paramedics on the scene will find easy to forget. 

They couldn't have imagined having to shoot one of their own fellow first responders. 

"It's a shame we couldn't have given him the help he needed instead of shooting him," Camden said.  

The firefighter, who was wounded multiple times, is still alive. We may never know what contributed to the events that transpired. We can't say with any certainty that his job was a contributing factor in this specific case. 

What we can say is that police officers and firefighters frequently find themselves in high pressure, emotionally difficult situations. It's something that shouldn't be forgotten by the citizens they protect or the leadership they work for. 

The large numbers of firefighters and police officers who call this community home shapes the very fabric of the neighborhood. When an event like this takes place it always hits a little closer to home in the 19th Ward. These men and women are our neighbors, and for many of us they are our family. 

The mental health of first responders and military men and women should not be treated lightly. We owe it to them to offer all the support they need after events like this one, and to prevent events like this one.