Springfield, Oregon – Man Sets Fire to Home, Ambushes Police, Firefighters
Springfield, Oregon – At about 3:45 a.m. on Wednesday, a 65 year old Springfield man named Lance Taylor Jacobs deliberately set fire to his own home in order to lure first responders. As soon as firefighters arrived, he began shooting at them. As they retreated,m they called the police.
Police arrived at around 4:02 a.m.according to KEZI.
Shooter from this morning identified as 65 year old Lance Jacobs of Springfield. Jacobs died as a result of a self inflicted gunshot wound after setting his house on fire & shooting at responding emergency personnel. Four homes were damaged as a result of the fire.
— Springfield PoliceOR (@SPDOregon) October 17, 2018
Because the firefighters couldn’t get to the fire to put it out, four homes were damaged in the fire, according to Blue Lives Matter.
KEZI reported,
Eugene Springfield Fire were called to a house fire at 536 Oakdale Avenue at about 3:54 a.m. Officials said when first responders arrived on scene, they came under gunfire from a shooter who was walking through the area with a shotgun.
[Police Lt. Scott] Mckee said bullets struck the windshield and front of a fire engine. Fire personnel evacuated and requested police assistance.
“The last thing you’re expecting when you roll in is to come under fire like that,” McKee said.
As police called SWAT for the active shooter situation, Jacobs was found dead in a nearby yard of a self-inflicted gunshot.
Fortunately, no firefighters or police were killed in the situation. Equipment was damaged, but only one fatality.
“Our interest is to try to identify what the motivation might have been beyond what is apparent, and in so doing, maybe determine if we can prevent something like from happening again.” Lt Scott McKee
Preventing cases like this would be extremely difficult. An older man who despaired of life in general reached a breaking point. Why he chose to ambush first responders in return for his own difficulties is beyond comprehension.
Just prior to starting the fire, at around 3.am., Jacobs wrote a lengthy Facebook post that contained these statements:
Featured photos: screenshots via KEZI
