TRENTON, NJ (CBS) – Bullet holes tell the story of what happened at a Trenton fire station on Tuesday night. Stray bullets came in and one of them grazed a firefighter.
Firefighters face many hazards on the job, such as smoke and flames. But they expect to be safe when they get back here to the fire station.
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That sense of security was shattered when gunfire hit the rear of the building, injuring a firefighter inside.
“My wife said there was a lot of gunfire,” said Emir Roberts, who lives nearby.
A stray bullet pierced the window on the second floor of the Engine 1 fire station, grazing a firefighter in his left arm as he exercised in the weight room around 8.30pm on Tuesday evening.
“Scary moment to know that one of my firefighters could have been killed,” said Trenton Fire Department Superintendent Kenneth Douglas.
According to police, the shooting actually started outside the Calhoun Street fire station. According to the gendarmes, two people were shooting at each other.
One of them chased the other through the parking lot while shooting, injuring the firefighter. He was taken to the hospital and discharged.
“We are here to protect the public, not to fear for our lives and for the public to do something to hurt us,” Douglas said.
Another bullet entered the kitchen of the fire station but did not hit anyone.
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“It actually penetrated the wall and lodged in the fridge. One bullet hit a firefighter, one barely missed the others who were sitting in the kitchen,” Douglas said.
Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora said firefighters sometimes wore body armor when putting out fires in violence-prone areas.
Should firefighters start wearing body armor inside the fire station now?
“No, I think our homes are safe. We will secure the building,” Gusciora said.
Secure the building with bulletproof glass so this doesn’t happen again.
As the injured firefighter recuperates at home, the fire chief has this urgent call.
“Lower those guns. It’s the state capital and it’s not the wild west,” Douglas said.
The fire director says the injured firefighter will be given counseling for his trauma, although the mayor says the firefighter remains in good spirits.
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Police say they are confident an arrest will be made soon.
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