In the aftermath of the deadly Tuesday shooting at Fire Station 81 in Agua Dulce, the community — and investigators — are still trying to figure out what prompted the tragic event.
Investigators said there was a longstanding workplace dispute between the shooter, who was a firefighter at the station, and the 44-year-old victim he killed. The victim has been identified as Tory Carlon, a father of three daughters and more than 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
According to LA County Sheriff Lt. Brandon Dean, at 6 a.m. Tuesday — four hours before the shooting occurred — there was a shift change at Fire Station 81. Carlon, the victim now memorialized by a cross and flowers outside the station, replaced 45-year-old Jonathan Tatone for the next shift that day.
The two men shared the same job at the fire station, both serving as firefighter engineers, but on different shifts, Dean said.
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"When they left each other that morning, from the interviews we’ve done, there was no specific incident that kicked this thing off that morning," he added.
After the shift change, Tatone went to the Acton home he would later burn down. But he was called back to the station about items he had left in the refrigerator.
When he returned to the station, he shot and killed Carlon, and shot and injured the fire captain, who is still in the hospital.
According to investigators, the dispute between the two men had been going on for several months. But they're still searching for the exact cause of Tuesday's events.
"To our knowledge, from interviews with the family members of the suspect, there was nothing going on in his life that would have triggered him," Dean said. "By all accounts he loved his job at the fire department."
Dean said that investigators are looking at personnel records to see if the conflict between Carlon and Tatone had been documented. He also stated they hope to speak to the injured fire captain, who is expected to make a full recovery, to shed more light on the lead-up to the shooting.
The GoFundMe page for Carlon's family has raised more than $200,000 as of Friday morning.
