Houston Firefighters honoring fallen arson investigator Leumel Bruce with “Wall of Honor” (Houston Fire Department)
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A Houston Fire Department arson investigator is dead after being shot in a shootout during an arson investigation.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says the investigator's death has hit the city hard. "This is a tough day. It's a tough day for his family. It's a tough day for the Houston Fire Department. It's a tough day for the Houston Police Department and it's a tough day for the city of Houston," said Turner.
Police say the suspect involved in the shooting was also killed during the shootout. The arson investigator, 44-year Lemuel Bruce, had been with the Houston fire department for 17 years and assigned to the arson bureau for the past five years.
According to officers, Bruce had been looking into a string of car fires in the Timbergrove and Heights areas. While conducting surveillance during an arson investigation, the HFD said the suspect opened fire on Bruce triggering the shootout.