Police: Three dead, three injured at house fire in Memphis

Teresa M. Walker

Wednesday, March 8, 2000 | 2:17 a.m.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Firefighters responding to a house fire Wednesday were ambushed by a gunman who stepped out of the garage and opened fire, authorities said. Three people were killed and three others wounded.

A sheriff's deputy and a firefighter were found shot to death inside the burning house, Fire Inspector Richard Sojourner said. A woman was also found dead in the house, but it was unclear how she was killed.

Another firefighter, a bystander and the gunman were seriously wounded, he said.

The suspect was shot by a deputy. He was taken to the hospital with non-critical injuries, Sojourner said.

The deputy was responding to a domestic violence call at the house, Sojourner said.

Firefighters were called to the home about noon. When they arrived, witnesses said, a man came out of the garage firing a shotgun and shouting, "Get away! Get away!

Sojourner said an officer ordered the gunman to put down the weapon, but he refused and fired at another deputy. The deputy shot the suspect, the fire inspector said.

Police were not sure whether the fire was set to cover up the woman's death. Sojourner said he did not know if the suspect lived at the house.

The shooting occurred in a prosperous neighborhood of mostly one-story brick houses and well-kept yards at the edge of the city. A golf course is a few miles away.

The fire was put out within a couple of hours.