The firefighters were called out to the fire on the shores of Lake Ontario at around 5.35 a.m. and the unidentified shooter immediately opened fire and initial reports claimed he was using an assault rifle - before a police SWAT team arrived and soon after the gunman died from a gunshot would. It is unclear if the wound was self-inflicted.
The unidentified man opened fire as soon as the firefighters arrived, killing police lieutenant Mike Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka, a 911 dispatcher, who had both volunteered with the West Webster fire department. In addition, two full time fire men, Joseph Hofsetter and Theodore Scardino were shot and injured by the gunman and are currently in nearby Strong hospital along with John Ritter, an off duty police officer who was hit by shrapnel from the volley of bullets.
All three men are in a guarded condition according to West Webster fire Chief Gerald Pickering, who confirmed that there was only one gunman and that it appears the fire was started as a trap.'It does appear it was a trap set for first responders,' said a visibly emotional Pickering at a press conference this morning. 'These people wake up in the middle of the night to fight fires , they don't expect to get shot.'
After the firefighters were shot police SWAT teams were called to the scene and they engaged managed to recover the dead and injured firefighters who had been shot.They then engaged in a pursuit of the unidentified suspect which ended in the shooter losing his life near to the home which he had set ablaze.
In the aftermath of the burning fire, 33 residents were evacuated from the picturesque lakeside community as fire chief's allowed the fire to burn unchecked destroying four homes and damaging 4 others.
One of the victims, Mike Chiapperini was a 20-year veteran of the police force in West Webster and at the press conference Pickering described the loss to the community at 'terrible.'
'We have families that are in pain because of this crisis - it is a very very difficult day,' said Pickering.
Asked if he could confirm or deny that an assault rifle was used in the shooting, Pickering said that at this time he was unable to do so.
The men were shot dead and two others injured after a man opened fire on them while they attempted to battle a blaze in the latest shooting to rock America.
Officials in West Webster, New York said that an unidentified gunman began shooting at the firefighters around 5.35 a.m. as soon as they arrived at a property on the shore of Lake Ontario which is just east of Rochester.
Initial reports from the scene suggested that the men were fired on by an unknown man brandishing an assault rifle which was the weapon used by the shooter at the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre which occurred just ten days ago.
The fire crews were called to the scene in Websters Lake Road just before 6 a.m. and after the shooting in the small town on the shores of Lake Ontario police SWAT teams descended to search the area for the shooter.
'I'm not aware of anything like this happening in Webster, obviously not a firefighter being fired upon.' said Webster Fire Marshal Rob Boutillier.
In the immediate aftermath officials said the fire had spread to two other homes and a car.
A man answering the phone at the fire station said firefighters are unable to battle the blazes as long as the area hasn't been secured by police. The man said no other information was being released.
In the initial confusing following the attack, Chief Gerald Pickering of the West Webster fire district said to Fox News 'one or more shooters' fired at the firefighters Monday morning.
In the interests of safety for emergency workers the firefighters did not tend to the fire which spread to another home and Boutiller said that it not known if there are people inside the houses.
The two firefighters from the scene are now being treated at a hospital, according to Strong Memorial Hospital public relations director Terry D'Agostino.
The gunfire erupted as the firefighters responded to an emergency call in the town, which is 15 miles east of Rochester, New York.
One neighbour who was walking her dog at the time of the shooing said that she saw a car driving away from the scene at around 90 miles an hour.
She said the car was being driven erratically by a male driver and it is believed that the occupant was fleeing the incident
'It's just a miserable thing to happen this time of year, any time,' Assemblyman Mark Johns, who represents the district and said he was friends with at least one of the victims, told WHEC.
'People who volunteer to come down and help others, to be shot at, wounded, killed. It's terrible.'
Both the injured firefighters are said to be in satisfactory conditions.
The man says no other information is being released.
Last December 7th within a few miles of this incident this happened [Link]. There have been many strange issues in the Rochester area in the last year. I live in the area and have been watching closely. The details on this story are sketchy and slow in coming. On our local cable news it was reported that 2 firefighters were killed and 2 injured. Late last spring we had the bullying of the bus driver that went viral on YOUTUBE. Kodak recently filed for bankruptcy as well.