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A firefighter was shot and killed in Stockton, California, 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.
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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.
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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.
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