A Jacksonville firefighter was injured by gunfire in what the city's mayor called a "cowardly attack" on a group of firefighters as they put fuel in a fire truck behind their station, authorities said.
The shooting happened at 7:35 p.m. Tuesday outside Fire Station 28, said Jacksonville Sheriff's Lt. Jackson Short.
A vehicle drove by and someone fired five or six shots, striking one firefighter in the arm after the bullet ricocheted, according to Randy Wyse, president of the Jacksonville Association of Fire Fighters, in a phone interview with NBC affiliate WLTV.
The firefighter, who was not named, was treated at the scene.
"The firefighter who was injured had a real minor graze to his elbow," Wyse said. "He continued on working that night, he didn't go home, which is normal for those kinds of guys."
Investigators say it appears the firefighters were targeted but added there's no indication the shooting is connected to recent police shooting incidents in New York and Missouri, Short told The Florida Times-Union.
Police did not release a description of the car or the suspects.
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Because the firefighters may have been targeted, the sheriff's office is going to send a car along with fire trucks on calls over the next day or two, Wyse said.
"We've never really had an incident like this, stations have been hit by stray bullets, but to have the guy standing behind the station fueling a truck and someone comes and take a couple pot shots at them, we've never seen that before," Wyse said.
Also on Tuesday, suspected car thieves shot at a Jacksonville police officer. He wasn't injured.
Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown issued a statement Tuesday night saying he was "outraged" by the shootings.
"These attacks will not be tolerated. As mayor, I will do everything in my power to protect the firefighters and police officers who work so hard to keep us safe," Brown said.
