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Steven Louis Jones

Chief

Chief Jones and members of his department were dispatched to a report of a structure fire. The first engine arrived on the scene and reported a fully involved structure. The IC learned that there was a burn victim in the house across the street from the burning structure, and a medic unit was directed to the house to initiate treatment. About the same time, Chief Jones arrived at the command post and asked how he could help. The IC asked Chief Jones to interview the burn victim prior to transport to the hospital. Moments after Chief Jones left the command post, gunfire was heard on the fire scene. Firefighters were ordered by the IC to take cover and a personnel accountability report was ordered. All firefighters were accounted for except Chief Jones. When Chief Jones had approached the house to talk with the burn victim, the man opened fire and struck Chief Jones and a paramedic employed by a private company that responded on the initial dispatch. Police officers were able to move Chief Jones and the paramedic to a shielded area. On-scene efforts were diverted from the fire fight and treatment was provided to the injured. Chief Jones suffered a severe gunshot wound to the head. He was treated on-scene by his firefighters and local EMS workers. He was transported to the hospital and ended up at a regional hospital in Texas. He survived until March 26, 2002, when he died of complications of his injury. The shooter, a man with a history of mental illness, had set the structure fire. He shot and killed Chief Jones, the paramedic, and a neighbor. He shot and injured the neighbor’s 3-year-old boy, and took another 5-year-old child hostage prior to ending his own life. Chief Jones’ wife is a firefighter with the Fort Worth Fire Department in Texas. Roswell Fire Department web site – www.roswell-usa.com/city/pubsaf.htm
photo of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
Steven Louis Jones was honored on the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland and was included in the USFA’s annual report Firefighter Fatalities in the United States.

Department information

City of Roswell Fire Department
200 South Richardson

Roswell, New Mexico 88203

Chief: Acting Chief Mike Matthews

View NIOSH Report

Age: 46
Rank: Chief
Classification: Career
Incident date: March 16, 2002 01:00
Date of death: March 26, 2002
Cause of fatal injury: Struck By
Nature of fatal injury: Violence
Activity type: Support
Emergency duty: Yes
Duty type: On-Scene Fire
Fixed property use: Residential

Last updated: June 26, 2013