Firefighter Dies After ‘Targeted Attack’ on an Alabama Fire Station

The authorities in Birmingham, Ala., are searching for leads and a motive in a daytime shooting at a city firehouse this month that left one on-duty firefighter dead and another wounded.

Few details have emerged since the July 12 shooting, though the Birmingham police chief, Scott Thurmond, has described it as a “targeted attack.”

“It’s extremely unusual for someone to come target one of our fire stations,” the chief said at a news conference on the day of the shooting. He added, “I find it extremely troubling.”

The firefighter who was killed, Jordan Melton, 29, had graduated from the recruit academy at Birmingham Fire and Rescue just a month earlier, said the city’s mayor, Randall L. Woodfin.

“We’re exhausting every resource to find answers and justice for Jordan’s loved ones,” Mr. Woodfin said in a statement. “Jordan paid the ultimate price for his service to our city. We will not let that sacrifice be in vain.”

According to the police, a suspect — or suspects — shot the two firefighters inside Fire Station 9, in the Norwood neighborhood of Birmingham. The attack, which was reported around 8:30 a.m., appeared to have taken place near the station’s bay doors.

Mr. Melton died days after the shooting, on July 17. A funeral for Mr. Melton will be held on Wednesday.

Jamal Jones, the other firefighter who was shot, was said to be in serious condition on the day of the shooting. Additional information on his condition was not immediately available. Efforts to reach the Birmingham Police Department, the fire service and the mayor’s office on Sunday were unsuccessful.

Birmingham firefighters honored their co-workers who were attacked in the days after the shooting, and mourned Mr. Melton.

“You could not be around Recruit Melton and not smile,” Stan Frierson, a battalion chief, said on Twitter. “I am known as a person who doesn’t smile often, but every time we spoke, it would end with him saying, Chief, smile.”

Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama said a reward totaling $45,000 was being offered for tips leading to an arrest in the shooting.

The Birmingham Police Department’s North Precinct, which includes Norwood, reported 17 murders from Jan. 1 to July 17, compared with 13 in the same period in 2022.