Man Who Shot 2 Firefighters In Alabama Motivated By Personal Conflict With One Of Them, Police Say

Investigators believe the man who shot two on-duty firefighters at an Alabama firehouse had a personal conflict with one of them, a police spokesman said Thursday.

Detectives are still trying to determine the basis for that conflict. They have not yet been able to talk to the firefighters, but believe only one of them was targeted, Birmingham Police Officer Truman Fitzgerald told The Associated Press.

He said the two Birmingham firefighters, Jordan Melton and Jamal Jones, are expected to survive. They were taken to a hospital in serious condition and both underwent surgery, Fitzgerald said. Police have not released the name of a suspect.

The shooter entered the station early Wednesday through an open bay door, Birmingham police said previously. At least one other firefighter was in the station during the attack and was not hurt.

The shooting happened near the bay doors just after Melton and Jones started their shifts, police said.