Memphis LODD's were MURDER!

[ttjjss]

Yesterday morning when I heard of the tragic events in Memphis, I got on the phone with one of our MFD brothers that I know. He was telling me of being at the hospital all night, waiting for news, talking to some of the guys who where on the scene and finding out what happened. He knew the fallen heroes and was having a hard time talking about it all.
Just as him and the rest of the MFD family were just starting to try and understand and figure out what happened, they all had the shock of finding out that the fire was set by the interum store manager to cover up his theft of over $7,000 from the store safe.
This is the same guy who was reported as possibly being still in the store. He is the one our selfless, heroic brothers went in looking for when this happened.
Understandably, the feelings they were going through are now compunded even more by the rage that this was PREMEDITATED MURDER of two of our own.
Quoting the Local FF union rep on TV this afternoon, "If he is guilty, may he burn in hell forever!"
I sat here watching the Memphis news and in two of the shots they were showing as and right after the roof collapse, You can hear the PASS devices going off. That brought back the same gut wretching feeling from when I heard all those PASS devices going off at the WTC on TV. You sit and watch and want to be in the picture so bad so you can try and help save your brothers, but you have to sit there helpless knowing what the outcome is already.
Now we all have even more healing to try and get through, Why is it that more tragedy always hits us when we are already dealing with loads of it anyway? We are strong and we will perservere, but we not only have to worry about going into dangerous situations but also going into them when they have been purposely started to do others harm. There is no difference in that than the idiots putting a gun to our heads and that brings my rage out and reminds me of our going to a structure fire that was set by a meth lab, we were within minutes of being blown to bits by their stash of liquid ether, senseless is what it all is.
All we can do is lean on each other, quit the petty bickering we do, and through UNITY , we will overcome all odds.
To all our fallen brothers my utmost respect, To all of our fallen brothers families, my heartfelt condolences and my offer of any help you need.
I will be on the phone with my Memphis brothers every day . I hope I can help them at least a little and maybe do some healing of my own.
Capt Tyler Sitzer
Weiner Vol Fire & Rescue Dept, Weiner, ARK

[dfdex1]

Well said my brother. I hope this low life murdering mutt burns in hell!

[NJFFSA16]

Store manager charged in blaze that killed two firefighters

(Memphis, Tennessee-AP) -- A Tennessee discount store manager
has been charged with setting a fire that left two firefighters
dead.
Prosecutors say it'll be up to Attorney General John Ashcroft to
decide whether to seek the death penalty against Anthony Shaw, who
they say set the fire to cover his tracks after stealing money from
the store.
The firefighters died Sunday when the roof collapsed on them as
they checked to see if anybody was stuck inside.
Investigators say Shaw admitted setting the fire, stealing the
day's receipts and leaving the store.


(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

More details

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A Family Dollar manager was charged
Tuesday with setting the fire at his discount store that killed two
Memphis firefighters.
Anthony Paul Shaw, 21, of Memphis was charged by federal
prosecutors with starting a fire in which death occurred. Assistant
U.S. Attorney Terrell Harris said Shaw, who was one of several
managers at the store, ignited the blaze Sunday night to cover up
the theft of several thousand dollars.
Two firefighters, Lt. Trent Kirk and Pvt. Charles Zachary, died
when the roof of the store collapsed as they braved flames and
smoke to make sure no one was trapped inside. The store had closed
about an hour before the fire was reported, but fire officials said
Monday they had been told a worker or cleaning crew might still be
inside.
The two firefighters and an injured colleague turned out to be
the only victims, though.
Memphis Fire Services Director Chester Anderson said that the
families of the dead firefighters were told this morning that it
was now an arson case.
"They took it as well as possible," he said.
Kirk, a father of two children, was an 11-year fire department
veteran while Zachary, also the father of two, had been with the
department for 19 years.
Harris said it will be up to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft
to determine whether to seek the death penalty against Shaw.
The prosecutor refused to say who had called in the report of
the fire.
Anderson said 20 pieces of firefighting equipment and 145
firefighters were sent to the blaze, which could be seen for
several miles.
Kirk and Zachary were in the first company of firefighters to
arrive and entered the building with other firefighters. Pvt. Tim
Scott was trapped momentarily by the falling debris that struck his
colleagues but was pulled to safety without suffering serious
injuries. Zachary was removed from the structure within 15 minutes.
But Kirk was trapped in the back of the one-story, flat-roofed
building and firefighters could not get to him until the flames
were under control. Even then, they had to knock a hole in a
concrete back wall to reach their colleague.
The fire was investigated by the Memphis fire department and the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, which routinely
assists on cases when firefighters are killed.
Zachary and Kirk were the first Memphis firefighters to die on
duty since March 2000. Then, two firefighters and a sheriff's
deputy were shot to death as they responded to a residential fire.
An off-duty firefighter was charged with firing on emergency
workers after killing his wife and setting their house on fire. He
is still awaiting trial.
Family Dollar has more than 4,800 stores in 43 states. The
Charlotte, N.C.-based chain features basic family and home goods
marketed to low and middle income consumers.
The company had no comment on the fire Monday.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

It seems to me that a huge amount of kudos go tot he brothers and sisters who investigated this incident. To get a confession that is corroborated by evidence is a major victory. Nice job, guys.

[NJFFSA16]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Two firefighters whose funerals drew
crowds of mourners Thursday are just the latest in a long list of
their Memphis brethren who have died because of arson.
Since 1987, nine Memphis firefighters have died on the job, and
all were responding to fires intentionally set.
"That's a pretty tough thing to take when you lose a
firefighter and then find out someone has started the fire
intentionally," said Jim Price, fire chief of emergency
operations. "But we still have a job to do and we do it whether
somebody started it or it was an accident."
Lt. Trent Kirk and Pvt. Charles Zachary, both 39, were killed
after rushing into a burning Family Dollar store where a civilian
was wrongly believed to be trapped inside.
Kirk, who suffered extensive burns, died at the scene Sunday
night. Zachary died from smoke inhalation the following morning.
Anthony Shaw, 21, a manager of the store, is charged with
starting a fire in which a public safety officer died. If convicted
of the federal charge, he will face life in prison or death.
Authorities say the fire was set in an attempt to cover up the
theft of money from the store's safe. According to federal
documents released Wednesday, the theft netted about $110 in
currency and $282 in rolled coins found during a search of Shaw's
home. Also discovered in the home were numerous checks made out to
Family Dollar.
Kirk's funeral was held Thursday morning at Bellevue Baptist
Church. Zachary's was at the same church in the afternoon.
Hundreds of firefighters in dress uniforms gathered for the
funerals. Fire trucks stationed at highway intersections near the
church were positioned with their ladders raised to form arches
from which large American flags were displayed.
Following tradition, the funerals included a procession of
firefighters marching to the sound of bagpipes.
"There's a reward in honoring these firefighters the way they
should be honored for their service to the citizens," said Jason
Stevens, a fire department battalion chief. "We try to do our best
to honor them and their families. It's very important to us."
The string of firefighter deaths resulting from arson is one of
the main reasons Terry Oldham, vice president of the local branch
of the firefighter's union, said he supports the death penalty in
such cases.
"Enough is enough," Oldham told The Commercial Appeal
newspaper.
The International Association of Fire Fighters has written to
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft asking him to seek the death
penalty for Shaw.
In 1987, fire Lt. Bobby G. Blackley, 47, died when a wall
collapsed in a store that was intentionally set on fire.
A 42-year-old transient was accused of arson and murder, but
those charges were eventually dropped.
In 1993, firefighters J. D. Hill, 45, and Joseph Boswell, 32,
died when the roof of a burning church collapsed.
Michael Lee Allen, a drifter and prison parolee, admitted
setting the fire and is serving a life sentence in federal prison.
Lt. Michael L. Mathis, 38, Pvt. William E. Bridges, 27, and two
civilians died in a fire at a high-rise apartment building in 1994.
Charles Edward Cortezie, who died in prison in 1996, was
convicted of setting the fire because he was angry at an ex-lover.
Fire Lt. Javier Lerma, 41, Pvt. William Blakemore, 48, and
sheriff's deputy Rupert Peete, 45, were shot to death in 2000 while
responding to an arson fire at a single-family residence.
Frederick Williams, a 42-year-old off-duty firefighter, was
charged with setting that fire after killing his wife, Stacey, 32.
Williams is still awaiting trial while receiving psychiatric
treatment.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)