**LEAD STORY**
ENN 4/25/96 10:10
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI (ENN) - Five people are dead and four others are wounded after a disgruntled firefighter went on a shooting rampage at the Jackson, Mississippi, central fire station on Wednesday afternoon. The gunman was identified as 32-year-old Firefighter Kenneth Tornes, a 9-year veteran of the Jackson Fire Department.
Tornes attacked all the fire department supervisors that he could find at the central fire station. He then led police on a 10 mile chase that ended in a shootout in a suburban Jackson shopping center parking lot.
Earlier in the day, Tornes reportedly shot and killed his 42-year-old wife at their home. The wife was believed shot point-blank in the forehead in the carport and Tornes dragged her body back into the house, where police found it.
While police were at the scene of Tornes' home, investigating the murder of his wife, Tornes went to the central fire station to attack supervisors who had given firefighters a hard time over the years. All of the dead and wounded victims at the fire station held the rank of captain or higher.
Tornes started his rampage on the second floor of the station located in downtown Jackson. He searched for anyone wearing a white shirt. He confronted one woman worker in a hallway and told her, "Lady, get back, I am going to blow this place up."
He intentionally avoided and did not harm any firefighters who wore a blue shirt. Tornes told one firefighter to take his arson dog and get out of the way. Jackson Deputy Fire Marshal J.L. Kelly said, "He picked his targets."
Shots were heard over the fire department's radio network. Fire Department Investigator Norman Presson said, "Apparently whoever was on duty keyed up the mike when the gunman came in." Presson said that he heard someone pleading to Tornes not to shoot. "Then I heard shots fired over the radio," Presson said.
Killed at the fire station were: Captain Stan Adams, age 45; District Chief Dwight Craft, 48; Captain Merideth Moree, age 49; District Chief Rick Robbins, 47. Wounded were: District Chief Jacob Bell, 48, who was reported to be in stable condition; and Captain Ken Lewis, age 50, who was in critical condition.
After shooting up the central fire station, Tornes fled and a police chase ensued. Several accidents were caused by the fleeing gunman, including one that involved an ambulance. The chase ended in the parking lot of the North Park Mall, located in suburban Ridgeland. A shootout with police ensued and Tornes was shot once in the left eye. He is reported to be in serious but stable condition at an area hospital.
Ridgeland Police Officer Elmo Gabbert, age 34, was shot in the hip by Tornes and is said to be in stable condition. When police searched Tornes' car they found a Mac-11, a Tec-9 and a .45-caliber handgun.
What motivated Tornes to kill his wife is not known. What is known is that he had serious problems with fire department superiors. Jackson Firefighter Tim Dukes said about Tornes, "He was a perfect gentleman except when you got him talking about the chiefs. He's been talking about this for years."
The president of the local firefighters union said that Tornes was "a time bomb waiting to go off." Another firefighter added, "I'm surprised it took so long."
Other co-workers said that Tornes was very upset about the long-running dispute between firefighters and superiors over reprimands for what were considered to be trivial matters.
Listening to firefighters complaints, there does appear to be a problem between Jackson Fire officers and the lower ranks. The local union president said, "They put the pressure on this man. He is a victim, too. When you brought up the administration, he would just blow up."
(c) EmergencyNet News Service, 1996, All rights Reserved.