Gunman In Retirement Home Fatally Shoots Firefighter Responding To Reported Explosion

One firefighter was killed and another wounded after an elderly suspect opened fire on rescue workers responding to an explosion at a California senior home Monday morning, police said. 

Firefighters responded around 4 a.m. Monday to an explosion at the Covenant Manor senior home in Long Beach, and upon arrival discovered a fire and a handful of blown out windows, according to ABC News.

As the emergency crew got close to the unit where the explosion was believed to have taken place, shots rang out, striking Captain David Rosa (pictured), along with another firefighter and one civilian, police said.

A SWAT team scrambled and police at the scene arrested a man they have described as a person of interest, officials said. The suspect, 77-year-old Thomas Kim, was charged Monday night with murder, two counts of attempted murder, and arson, and was ordered held on $2 million bail.

Investigators also found two possible suspicious devices at the scene, according to a spokeswoman for the Long Beach Police Department.

Rosa was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, but doctors were unable to save him and he was pronounced dead, according to the Los Angeles Times. The other hurt firefighter, Ernesto Torres, 35, was treated for a graze wound and released from the hospital Monday.

In a press conference Monday morning, Long Beach Fire Department Chief Mike Dupree struggled to hold back tears.

“This is a tough day,” Dupree said, as a fellow firefighter patted him on the shoulder.

The civilian who was wounded was being treated at a local hospital in critical condition Monday morning.

Rosa, 45, was a 17-year veteran of the Long Beach Fire Department, and leaves behind a wife and two children, Dupree said.

The motive for the attack is unknown.

[Photo: Long Beach Fire Department]