A captain in the Stockton, California, fire department died this week after being shot and killed while responding to a call, officials announced on Monday.
Capt. Vidal “Max” Fortuna and other firefighters were responding to a dumpster fire early Monday morning when gunshots were heard and Fortuna was hit. Firefighters transported Fortuna to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased, a statement released by the Stockton Fire Department said.
“This morning at approximately 4:45 a.m. the Stockton Fire Department’s Emergency Communications Division received a 911 call for a dumpster fire in the area of Washington and Aurora Streets. Engine 2 arrived on the scene a short time later and found a dumpster fire impinging on a structure. As firefighters were extinguishing the fire, gunshots were heard, and the Fire Captain of Engine 2 had been struck. Firefighters quickly transitioned to providing EMS care and transported him to the hospital.
I’m devastated to report that Veteran Fire Captain Max Fortuna has succumbed to his injuries. Captain Fortuna served the City of Stockton for 21 years and leaves behind a wife and two grown children. I ask you to keep Captain Fortuna’s family and the Stockton Fire Department family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."
NBC News noted that a Stockton Police Department spokesman told reporters on Monday that detectives arrested a 67-year-old Robert Somerville on homicide and weapons charges in connection with Fortuna’s death. In a statement, they said a handgun was recovered at the scene but did not detail a motive.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Stockton Fire Captain Vidal "Max" Fortuna, his family, and the entire Stockton Fire Department. Captain Fortuna was shot and killed this morning while putting out a fire. #InTheLineOfDuty pic.twitter.com/pZrlvbBJQe
— Stockton Police Dept (@StocktonPolice) January 31, 2022
Somerville made his first court appearance on Wednesday, where a judge formally charged him with one count of murder and one count of intentional discharge of a firearm resulting in death.
“This is an unfathomable tragedy for our community and one that should never have occurred,” District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar said in a published statement.
Local CBS-affiliated outlet Good Day Sacramento noted that Somerville’s family said he mistook Fortuna for an intruder and that he announced he was armed.
“It was a case of mistaken identity,” the suspect’s brother Greg Somerville reportedly said. “He thought he was protecting himself and he had a fear for his life.”
“Somerville claims his business and home in the warehouse had been a target for several attempted break-ins in the past,” Good Day Sacramento reported.