One of the firefighters who was shot inside a Birmingham, Alabama, fire station on Wednesday has died, according to Birmingham’s mayor.
Firefighter Jordan Melton was pronounced dead Monday evening by Birmingham Fire & Rescue.
“My heart is hurting today,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement shared on the fire department’s Twitter. “It devastates me to share that we’ve lost our own firefighter Jordan Melton. But before I talk about Jordan the public servant, I want to celebrate Jordan the man.”
About three firefighters were at the station at the time of the shooting, in what police said may have been a targeted attack, that took place around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday near the station’s bay doors, Birmingham police said.
Firefighter Jamal Jones was also shot and was listed in serious condition, police said.
The suspect and motive are currently unknown, police said last week, adding that it’s “extremely unusual for someone to come target one of our fire stations.”
A $15,000 reward has been offered for information in the case.
In his statement Monday night, Woodfin called Melton “vibrant” and “full of life.”
“He loved to talk sports as much as he loved good barbecue. He had a brilliant mind for business, but he was always down to lighten the mood with a joke or two,” the mayor said. “He was also a wonderful son to his mother, who has been his rock in these difficult past few days.”
Melton worked with Birmingham Fire and Rescue for over a year, but graduated from the recruit academy a month ago, Mayor Woodfin said.
“When I look at his photo, you can see the potential and pride in his eyes. So much of that potential will now go unrealized,” Woodfin said.
“Jordan had developed close ties with his fellow firefighters, which makes this loss all the more tragic. Birmingham Fire is so much more than a collection of employees, they are a family in every sense of the word. And right now, that family is in a lot of pain,” he added.
Birmingham Fire & Rescue thanked Melton for his service in a separate Twitter post Monday evening.
“Today, we pause to honor your life and your legacy,” the fire department wrote. “End of Watch: 07-17-2023.”
