Had a bullet been aimed just slightly differently Saturday, it might have gone through a door of a West Palm Beach fire truck and hit a captain, a battalion chief said.
The fire truck was struck by a bullet at about 8:45 a.m. as it was parked in front of the Publix Super Market at Southdale Shopping Center, along Southern Boulevard east of Interstate 95 between Parker and Lake avenues.
The bullet left a sizable gouge and, perhaps, a bit of fire-truck-red paint embedded in the area. The firefighter who normally sits in that seat was inside a store on a fire prevention duty.
"I'm just thankful we don't have a shot fireman," said Battalion Chief Kevin Lewis, who can't recall any similar incidents. The closest may have been paramedic units caught in the crossfire as they responded to calls about two decades ago, he said. On Saturday, it was a firetruck simply parked.
The suspect was driving by in the parking lot in a gray SUV that was caught on surveillance cameras. West Palm Beach searched Saturday afternoon for the gunmen.
"Usually we're the good guys. We don't get any grief," he said.
A fire captain in a front seat, just a few feet from where the bullet hit, was shaken by the incident. No one was injured.
Lewis said the captain heard one pop, then someone ask what another person was doing.
The bullet was stopped by the door of the year-old Sutphen fire truck, probably because it hit an area that's reinforced to protect firefighters if the truck rolls over. It might have penetrated if it hit a few inches farther forward, and a small change in the aim might have led to the captain getting hit, Lewis said.
Detective Lori Colombino, spokeswoman for the West Palm Beach Police Department, said she also could not remember any other gunfire incidents involving fire trucks in the city.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call city police at 561-822-1673 or Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County at 800-458-TIPS (8477).
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