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Read the press release here.

First Firefighter Shot in Line of Duty in 21 Years Expected to Recover

By Ben Fractenberg | August 14, 2015 2:31pm
 Lt. James Hayes, 53, was the first firefighter shot in the line of duty in 21 years when he was shot after responding to a Staten Island fire Friday morning, Aug. 14, 2015.
Lt. James Hayes, 53, was the first firefighter shot in the line of duty in 21 years when he was shot after responding to a Staten Island fire Friday morning, Aug. 14, 2015.
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STATEN ISLAND — Lt. James Hayes, who a reputed gang leader wounded during a police standoff Friday, was the first FDNY firefighter to be shot in the line of duty in 21 years, the commissioner said during a press conference.

Hayes, 53, a 31-year department veteran and father of two, was struck in the right hip and left calf after responding to a fire allegedly started by a leader of the East Coast Bloods gang who was barricaded in his Mariners Harbor home about 6 a.m. after U.S. Marshals tried to arrest him.

“Miraculously, the lieutenant is in stable condition and these wounds are not life threatening,” FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said outside of Richmond University Medical Center. “We are at once troubled by the incident and happy by the outcome that he’ll rejoin his family.”

Hayes went into the apartment of ex-convict Garland Tyree at 15 Destiny Court to put out a fire after members of the Regional Fugitive Task Force were driven out by the smoke, the commissioner said.

The NYPD were then in contact with the wanted man, but he stopped talking as the fire continued.

Hayes then made the decision to enter the apartment, believing Tyree may have been unconscious, while his members waited behind, Nigro said.

Tyree opened fire with an assault rifle, hitting Hayes twice, the commissioner said.

The lieutenant was able to turn around and walk past the bathroom where Tyree was hiding, Nigro added.

The reputed gang leader then fired more shots, but missed Hayes.

Other firefighters helped bring Hayes out to the street.

Nigro said the firefighter, who has been cited twice for bravery, was in “very good spirits” after visiting him in the hospital.

 Garland Tyree locked himself inside 15 Destiny Court and set it on fire Friday morning, police said.
Garland Tyree locked himself inside 15 Destiny Court and set it on fire Friday morning, police said.
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“He realizes that he came very close to not being with us,” the commissioner said. “Seeing his family, he’s very happy.”

Dennis Williams was the last firefighter shot in the line of duty in 1994, The New York Times reported.

Williams was responding to reports of a fire in a Flatbush supermarket when the store’s night security guard fired at him, hitting Williams in the foot.

It still was not clear what was set on fire inside the Staten Island home, according to the FDNY, and the blaze eventually went out without spreading.

Nigro said the department has active-shooter protocols and firefighters have been practicing for these types of situations. 

He went on to laud the lieutenant's ability to handle the situation. 

"He acted heroically," Nigro said.