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Man With Shotgun Greets Police Responding To Home Fire

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By JOSH POLTILOVE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 23, 2008

TAMPA - When Tampa police Officers Julio Martinez and Michele Deschler tried helping a man inside a burning house Monday morning, he pointed a shotgun at them, authorities said.

The officers had been cruising in the area and stopped after seeing smoke coming from the house at 115 W. Sligh Ave. A citizen was already there, using a water hose to combat the blaze.

The officers went to the front door and heard someone inside, authorities said. As they beat on the door, a 59-year-old man with a shotgun answered, Tampa Fire Rescue said.

"Needless to say, the police backed off," Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Bill Wade said.

The man, Eddie Carl Jones, went back inside the house. A few minutes later, Martinez and Deschler reported hearing Jones call for help but couldn't do anything because the smoke was hot and thick and they didn't have on the proper gear to enter the house.

Firefighters arrived at 8:41 a.m.

Acting fire Capt. Chris Shepherd, 49, dove through a window into the house and found Jones unconscious. Shepherd is a 22-year veteran of the fire department and works with Seminole Heights Engine 7.
Fire crews pulled Jones out the window and began treating the man, who was barely breathing.

"According to the police officers who were trying to help ... the firefighter definitely saved the man's life," Wade said.

Wade said Jones was treated at the scene and taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he is in serious condition.

Firefighters got the blaze under control in 20 minutes.

One firefighter, Rush Roberts of Sulphur Springs Engine 11, suffered heat exhaustion. Roberts, 25, helped Jones out of the house and continued fighting the fire before falling ill. He was treated at the scene and taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in good condition.

Wade said it is too early to speculate about Jones' behavior or why he had a shotgun.

Wade said the fire caused moderate to heavy damage. The cause remains under investigation.

Authorities do not think anybody else was in the house when the fire began about 8:35 a.m., Wade said.

Daniel Gonzalez, 45, works across the street from the home. He said the man, a photography teacher at a technical school in Tampa, is a "great guy" but has done some irregular things in recent months.

The man let newspapers pile up in his driveway, stopped taking care of his yard and cut back on the number of walks he took around the neighborhood, Gonzalez said.

Martinez and Deschler declined to comment Monday about the situation, police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

Police received calls for service to the location May 25 in response to a missing person and July 24 regarding a domestic dispute.

TBO.com producers Daniela Velazquez and Beth Gaddis contributed to this report. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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