Updating the Rochester shootings. 911 call of fire. Webster firefighters arrive on scene, 4 are shot. 2 are killed.

These people get up in the middle of the night to fight fires. They don’t expect to be shot and killed,” Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering said at a news conference just before noon.

The shooter was found dead outside the home where the shootings occurred, killed by an apparent gunshot wound.

The fire broke out at 5:45 a.m. at 191 Lake Road on the Irondequoit Bay side of the street.

Pickering said shots were fired at West Webster firefighters when they arrived on the scene. He said it appeared the shooter had set a trap for first responders.

After the fire became a crime scene, firefighters were not able to resume fighting the blaze until roughly 11 a.m., after the shooter had been confirmed dead, Pickering said. In the meantime, the nearby houses became engulfed in flames.

Greece Police Chief Todd Baxter said off-duty officer Jon Ritter was on his way to work this morning, driving behind a fire truck that responding to the Lake Road fire. At least two rounds hit his truck, one going through the windshield, the other into his engine block.

Ritter, backed out of the area, jumped out of the truck and prevented any other motorists or firefighters from entering the “kill zone,” said Greece Police Chief Todd Baxter.

Ritter received minor injuries to his arm and left chest. Baxter said he was being evaluated at an area hospital.

A passing cop was also shot and injured by shrapnel. 5 people shot altogether, not counting the gunman who was found dead from a gunshot. Probably a suicide.

Tell me again how good guys with guns can beat the bad guys with guns?

Once again, it’s a bad guy who commits suicide before anyone can get the drop on them.

This kind of situation happens infrequently, but it pisses me off nonetheless. Firefighters are trained to race to the scene of accidents, fires, and rescue situations. They aren’t trained to take gunfire while doing so. Nor should they.

These firefighters, including one who was volunteering with the Windsor Dept while being on the Rochester force, were doing their jobs when they were ambushed.

Can’t wait to find out the motive on this one (if ever). And I can’t wait to hear the NRA response to this one either (crickets).