One of the firefighters who was shot inside a Birmingham, Alabama, fire station on Wednesday has died, according to Birmingham’s mayor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firefighter Jordan Melton was pronounced dead Monday evening by Birmingham Fire & Rescue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy heart is hurting today,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement<\/u><\/a> shared on the fire department’s Twitter. \u201cIt devastates me to share that we\u2019ve lost our own firefighter Jordan Melton. But before I talk about Jordan the public servant, I want to celebrate Jordan the man.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Firefighter Jamal Jones was also shot and was listed in serious condition, police said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The suspect and motive are currently unknown, police said last week<\/u><\/a>, adding that it’s “extremely unusual for someone to come target one of our fire stations.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n A $15,000 reward has been offered for information in the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his statement Monday night, Woodfin called Melton “vibrant” and “full of life.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe 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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Melton worked with Birmingham Fire and Rescue for over a year, but graduated from the recruit academy a month ago, Mayor Woodfin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJordan 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Birmingham Fire & Rescue thanked Melton for his service in a separate Twitter post<\/u><\/a> Monday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Today, we pause to honor your life and your legacy,” the fire department wrote. “End of Watch: 07-17-2023.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n