MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

Who was Jonathan Tatone? LA firefighter kills himself after shooting colleague dead at firehouse

Jonathan Tatone left the firehouse after the attack and went to his home in Acton, where he set his house on fire and allegedly killed himself

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A deadly shooting in Los Angeles that killed one firefighter and left another one in critical condition was fueled by a workplace argument, sources at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stated. The coroner's office on June 3 identified the shooter as Jonathan Patrick Tatone, an off-duty firefighter, who later killed himself.

Tatone was off-duty when he showed up at the Agua Dulce fire station on Tuesday, June 2, and open fire, shooting two of his coworkers, killing one of them. The authorities have said Tatone left the firehouse after the attack and led authorities to his home in Acton, where he set his house on fire and allegedly killed himself, officials said.

RELATED STORIES

Who is Coleman Blevins? Texas man, 28, planning Walmart mass shooting arrested with weapons, radical books

Miami-Dade shooting: Clayton Dillard, 26, among 2 dead as dad screams at son's killers: 'You're gonna burn'

We earlier reported a similar incident where Samuel Cassidy killed his eight colleagues before taking his own life. At the time of the shooting, Cassidy, who was suffering from bipolar disorder had three pistols and 32 magazines on him and a stockpile of ammunition and guns at home, according to the Santa Clara Sheriff's Office. Cassidy was working at the light rail facility for the Valley Transportation Authority in San Jose.

Fire chief Daryl Osby of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said in a news conference, “I can stand here to express my feelings and the deepest sympathies and prayers to the family, friends and colleagues of our fallen firefighter and our injured firefighter.” The deceased firefighter was identified as Tory Carlon. A GoFundMe page was established to help his wife and three young daughters. The page read: "He leaves behind his wife, Heidi, and three young daughters. Everyone who knew Tory loved him. He was an extremely dedicated father and husband who brought a sense of calm to everyone. He absolutely loved being a firefighter and serving others. His family and friends are devastated by this loss. We appreciate all thoughts and prayers." The page has raised $192,777 of the $200,000 goal. Carlon was a firefighter engineer shot multiple times in the torso. 

Osby stated in the press conference that he spoke with the victim’s family and other members of the family. “You can only imagine how they feel for the loss of their co-worker, and the loss of a husband, son, a father, and a dear friend.” Another 54-year-old male fire captain was also shot and was taken to the hospital, where he is in critical but stable condition, Osby said.

Authorities said that the motive might stem from “some workplace beef” between Tatone and Carlon. “It sounds like they didn’t like each other,” Brandon Dean, the lead investigator said adding that personnel files will be reviewed. The station where the shooting happened “has only four firefighters per shift nad 12 total assigned to it,” with employees working 24-hour shifts.

“Tragically, we learned that the shooter was an off-duty firefighter who came to the fire station,” said Osby. After the shooting, Tatone “returned to his house, he barricaded himself, the home was set on fire and he was also found deceased,” Osby said. Tatone reportedly purchased the home in July 2020. 

The department said that witnesses recognized the shooter and his truck, which police followed to Acton. There, “a fire broke out” and the suspect threatened to shoot law enforcement officers. Later, the fire was put out with water-dropping helicopters and Tatone was found dead. Osby added: “This morning when I received the news it was some of the worst news that I’ve heard in my career. As a fire chief, I’ve dealt with a lot of death and a lot of fallen members in my department. I’ve always prayed that we would never have a line-of-duty death.”

“I never thought that if it occurred that it would occur in this fashion,” Osby said during the press conference. “I know that as firefighters we are in a profession of providing assistance to others, but I ask that in this particular situation that we are asking for your support and your assistance and we ask you for our prayers in our time of need."