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A resident of a retirement home fired on firefighters who responded to an explosion Monday at the Southern California plant, killing a former fire captain and leaving a second firefighter and another injured, have indicated officials.
According to a preliminary investigation, the investigator believes that the man, Thomas Kim, had lit a fire early Monday morning to attract first aid in his second-floor apartment at the Long Beach retirement home, to the south from Los Angeles. Chef Robert Luna said.
Kim, 77, was arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and arson. The investigators were still working to determine Kim's motive, Luna said. We did not know immediately if he had a lawyer.
The shooting occurred shortly after the firefighters arrived at the 11-story retirement home around 4 am and found blown windows, activated sprinklers, the smell of gas and a fire that they extinguished, the authorities said. Firefighters searched the building when gunshots were fired and both firefighters were hit, said Long Beach Fire Chief Michael DuRee.
Fire Chief Dave Rosa, who had been working for the department for 17 years, died Monday morning at the hospital, DuRee said. He is survived by a woman and two children – aged 16 and 25, the chief said.
The other firefighter, Ernesto Torres, was released Monday from the hospital and is expected to recover completely, authorities said.
An elderly resident of the retirement home was also shot dead and in critical but stable condition, said police chief Robert Luna. The specific circumstances of how the resident was shot down were not immediately known.
"Long Beach has lost a hero today," said Mayor Robert Garcia.
Eighty seniors remained evacuated from the retirement home Monday afternoon and were offered health services and counseling at a local community center, the mayor said.
Dozens of firefighters stood at attention and waved as the draped coffin carrying Rosa's body was taken out of a hospital Monday afternoon and loaded into a coroner's van. Community members waved American flags along the street outside the hospital as the procession of police and fire vehicles escorted the van to the coroner's office .
Luna said that a revolver had been recovered after Kim's arrest on Monday morning. He was arrested for car theft, said the chief.
"There is still a big puzzle that we are trying to put in place, there is still a lot of information that we do not know," he said.
The investigators also found two "suspicious devices" when they arrested Kim and called the bomb team to "make these safe," Luna said.
The detectives still have "a lot of questions about the devices that were found and the suspect's intention," Luna said.
"It's the environment in which we work today, such as law enforcement and firefighters, and you never know what's in it." On the other hand, these brave firemen have gone through these gates and have unfortunately been hit by gunshots. Luna said earlier Monday.
Pamela Barr, who lives in the building, said that she had been awakened by fire alarms and that she had not panicked because false alarms were not uncommon. She tried to go back to sleep, but then learned what was happening by watching TV news. The firefighters later evacuated the building and put the locals on the buses.
"It's a lot to deal with," said Barr, 73, while she was sitting with her son in a car, waiting to be allowed back in the tower, where she lives. on the ninth floor at the opposite end of the building from where the fire occurred.
Barr said that she had not heard of any problems involving residents of the institution, where she lived for seven years. She described it as clean, well managed and secure.
Gloria Ford, 58, who lives a few blocks away, was woken up by screaming sirens earlier and came to check the scene.
"I'm really sorry, I'm fed up," she said of the firefighter's death. "It's just crazy."
The residential tower near downtown Long Beach has 100 apartments for low-income people aged 62 and over, as well as adults with disabilities over the age of 18, according to its website.
Long Beach is a large port city of more than 400,000 inhabitants.
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Balsamo reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer John Antczak in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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