Captain Dale Patterson, a chaplain for the Strother Fire Department, died from an injury he received during an altercation at the Strother Fire Department around 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Oklahoma -
A fight at
a firehouse leaves one person dead and another under investigation.
It happened
early Thursday morning in Strother in Seminole County.
At this
point, Sheriff Shannon Smith says they are calling this a suspicious death.
Here is what News 9 is been told so far. Captain Dale Patterson, a chaplain for
the Strother Fire Department, died from an injury he received during an
altercation at the Strother Fire Department around 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
We're told
the crew had just returned from a service call when Patterson and another
firefighter got into a fight.
Patterson
reportedly hit his head causing significant injury. He was first taken to Seminole
Medical Center, and then transported to OU Medical where he later died.
Strother Fire
Chief Nicholas Nadeau says the department is small, with only 19 firefighters, so
everyone is trying to cope with the loss.
"Just a
tragic accident that hit us all hard at heart, but we look at what Dale would
tell us and he would tell us up lift our chins up and go on," Nadeau said.
Nadeau says
four firefighters witnessed the incident. The Midwest City fire chaplain is expected
to help with counseling on Monday.