Tory Carlon, Firefighter Killed In Agua Dulce Fire Station Shooting, Remembered In Memorial Service At The Forum
INGLEWOOD (CBSLA) – A memorial service was held Thursday at The Forum in Inglewood to honor and remember Tory Carlon, a Los Angeles County firefighter who was killed in a shooting at a fire station in Agua Dulce earlier this month by a colleague over what is believed to have been a workplace dispute.
The invitation-only service was attended by L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby and L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
"This loss is extremely heartbreaking and tough," Osby said. "But also, what remains in the hearts of many of us is Tory...He was a loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle...coworker and friend."
"My daddy raised his girls well," his oldest daughter Joslyn Carlon said. "He taught us right from wrong and was such an amazing role model to have as a child. I hope I can carry that on to my younger sister, Brie, and share stories to her about him, because unfortunately, she only got six years with my daddy. And I also hope to carry it on to my own kids one day as well."
The shooting occurred on the morning of June 1 at Fire Station No. 81 in the 8700 block of Sierra Highway.
Forty-five-year-old Jonathan Patrick Tatone, an off-duty fire engineer who worked at the same station, shot and killed the 44-year-old Carlon and critically wounded a 54-year-old fire captain, Arnoldo Sandoval, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department said.
Following the shooting, Tatone drove 10 miles to his home in Acton, where he set the home ablaze and then took his own life. He was found dead in the backyard from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities said there had been a running dispute between Carlon and Tatone, possibly over the management of the Agua Dulce station, and the pair had argued in the past. It was unclear, however, exactly what prompted the shooting.
Carlon, a 20-year veteran of the county fire department, is survived by his wife Heidi and their three daughters. Three days after the killing, in a show of support, dozens of firefighters attended the graduation ceremony of Joslyn Carlon from Saugus High School. She wore her father's firefighting jacket when she walked on stage to accept her diploma.
On Tuesday, a private "flag ceremony" was held for Carlon at Fire Station 131 in Palmdale, which was one of Carlon's final assignments.
The day of the shooting, Osby told reporters that learning of the killing that occurred inside the fire station was "some of the worst news that I've heard in my career."
Hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil for Carlon in Acton on the night of the shooting.
"When it comes to being a father when it comes to being a fireman, he taught me much about being a better father for my girls and being there," a fellow firefighter said of Carlon at the vigil.
A GoFundMe page established to support the Carlon family had raised more than $286,000.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
