A disasters was shooting” target=”_blank”>shot<, on Monday morning while battling a dumpster fire, officials announced.
Captain Vidal “Max” Fortuna, 47, was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. He leaves behind a wife and two grown children.
The Stockton Fire Department responded to a call of a dumpster fire at 4:45 a.m. on Monday morning and shots rang out as they worked to extinguish the blaze, striking Fortuna.
Stockton Fire Department Captain Vidal "Max"Fortuna, 47, was shot and killed while battling a dumpster fire on Monday morning.
(Stockton Fire Department)
Robert Somerville, 67, was arrested at the scene and is facing homicide and weapons charges.
He allegedly used a .380 caliber handgun in the shooting, according to the Stockton Police Department.
Stockton Fire Chief Rick Edwards called the shooting his “worst nightmare.”
“This is a very, very sad day for this fire department,” Edwards said.
BRIANNA KUPFER STABBING SUSPECT HELD IN LOS ANGELES JAIL ON $2M BAIL, RECORDS SHOW
Stockton Police Department spokesperson Joe Silva said on Monday afternoon that detectives were still trying to piece together what led up to the shooting.
“We don’t have a motive,” Silva told Fox News Digital. “We don’t know if they knew each other or not.”
Fortuna was a 21-year veteran of the Stockton Fire Department.
“Max was a firefighter who showed up every day and never complained about being on the job. I don’t really know too many other firefighters who enjoy the job as much as him,” Stockton Professional Firefighters Union President Mario Gardea said Monday.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The Stockton Fire and Police Departments escorted Fortuna from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office to Casa Bonita Funeral Home on Monday afternoon.
About a dozen police officers on motorcycles led a hearse and two fire trucks through Stockton.
