Police: 77-year-old California man suspected of starting fire, shooting and killing first responder
Police in Long Beach, California, said Monday that a 77-year-old man is suspected of starting a fire at his retirement home, then shooting firefighters when they responded to the call for help.
One of the first responders, Capt. Dave Rosa, 45, a 17-year veteran of the Long Beach Fire Department, was shot and killed. Another firefighter, Ernesto Torres, was wounded, and has since been released from the hospital. Authorities said a resident of the Covenant Manor facility was also shot and is in critical but stable condition. "This is a tough day," Long Beach Fire Chief Mike DuRee said.
First responders arrived at Covenant Manor at around 4 a.m. Monday, after reports of an explosion and the smell of gasoline, Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna said. After a preliminary investigation, officers believe that Thomas Kim purposely started a fire as a way to lure first responders in order to shoot them, and he's been arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, and arson. Luna said two explosive devices were found inside his apartment, and they recovered a revolver after arresting him. He is being held on $2 million bail.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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