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A Waterbury, Ct. firefighter who police say was an intended target
was shot and killed near his firehouse Saturday morning as he took part in a charity boot drive during a half-hour shooting spree that left three
other people dead, including the suspect.
AP World Wide Photos/Steve Miller
Waterbury, Conn. firefighters walk into the Highland Ave. firehouse Sunday, Aug. 27, 2000, where slain Waterbury firefighter Jamie Quinones, 38, worked before being shot on Saturday while collecting charitable donations in the neighborhood.
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Jamie Quinones, 38, was gunned down by Mark Cote, who shot and killed a man
at his apartment building minutes earlier, police said. Cote then continued
on to kill his girlfriend's mother before turning the gun on himself.
Cote is believed to have targeted Quinones. The Republican-American reported Monday that Cote's mother said that Quinones had an affair with Cote's ex-wife.
Quinones, 38, was among a crew of firefighters who were
at an intersection about a half-mile from Fire Station 11 conducting a boot drive to raise
money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, an annual ritual among firefighters
nationwide, officials from the Waterbury Fire Department said.
Cote shot Quinones at many as eight times, police said. Cote then drove to the home of an ex-girlfriend and shot her mother, 40-year-old Maria Hernandez. Police said Cote let the ex-girlfriend and her three children go before turning the gun on himself.
Quinones was pronounced dead at an area hospital. The six-year veteran was divorced and leaves behind two children, officials said.
The shooting spree began to unfold at about 10:50 a.m. when Waterbury Police receieved
a call for shots fired outside an apartment building at 371 Congress Avenue. There,
they found 30-year-old Brian Miller dead from a gunshot wound. Miller's car had been
stolen by Cote, after the shooting.
Police said Miller was sitting in his car when Cote dragged him out and shot him.
Minutes later, at 10:54 a.m., the fleeing Cote fired several shots at Quinones whowas among the group of firefighters at the intersection of Sunnyside Ave. and
Highland Ave. near the fire station.
"[Cote] pulled up and fired several shots at [Quinones]," Pesce said. "He never
got out of the car." No one else was injured in the incident in front of the station, officials said.
Acting Fire Chief James Trainor described Quinonesas "a nice guy, kind of quiet, with a military bearing." Quinones had spent 11 years in the Marines before joining the department.
About fifteen minutes later, Cote entered the house of his estranged girlfriend
Maria Perez at 16 Kenyon St. and shot to death Perez's mother, 40-year-old
Maria Hernandez.
Perez fled the house with her three children. Arriving officers within minutes
heard a lone shot from inside the house. After two hours of attempting to make
contact to Cote in the residence, police entered the house and found the man
dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
"Early indications are that Cote knew all of the victims," Pesce said. Policesuspect the incident may have been ignited by a domestic dispute.
"It almost appears like it's three separate shootings for three different reasons," saidPolice Superintendent Edward Flaherty.
Officials at the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation believed that the incident
would be considered a line of duty death regardless of the circumstances behind
the shooting, since Quinones was on duty performing his duties at the time of his death.
Memorial service information is as follows:
- Wake: Tuesday, August 29, 2000, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the ImmaculateConception Church on West Main Street in Waterbury, CT.
- Funeral: Wednesday, August 30, 2000, 10:00 AM Mass at the ImmaculateConception Church.
- Burial: Calvary Cemetery on East Main Street immediately following funeralmass.
- Donations:
Firefighter Jaime Quinones, Jr. Memorial Fund
C/O Waterbury Firefighters Federal Credit Union
607 Watertown Avenue
Waterbury, CT 06708
Proceeds to be donated to The Muscular Dystrophy Association
If you would like additional information please contact the Waterbury FireDepartment, Emergency Communications Center at 203-597-3400.
Related
Conn. Firefighter Killed in Shooting During Boot Drive