Firefighters who responded to a fatal shooting in Chualar Tuesday afternoon returned to the Chualar fire station to discover that a stray bullet had broken a window on the station building and ricocheted off a fire training trailer parked inside the fire station. Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies were immediately called to the Monterey County Regional Fire District’s Chualar station located at the corner of Washington and Jackson Streets to investigate the property damage. Deputies quickly found the bullet in a trash can next to the fire training trailer near the struck window. Because of the timing and direction of travel, the stray bullet was attributed to the shooting incident which had occurred one block away on Main Street, about an hour prior to its discovery.
At the time of the shooting, shortly before 2:00 p.m., the firefighters stationed at the Chualar firehouse were returning from another emergency call on Highway 101 north of Chualar. The emergency dispatch was received for a reported shooting on Main Street, and the fire personnel responded directly to the scene without returning to the fire station.
The window and trailer struck were in an area of the fire station where firefighters normally work, regularly conducting fire equipment checks and maintenance. No fire personnel were at the station when the stray bullet hit the fire station window and vehicle. Damage to the fire station and trailer are estimated at $750.00.
Tags: fire station
