The following is an email that was forwarded with details about the paramedic that was shot Sunday night (7/30/2006) in Madison County, NC. As of yesterday (8/1) the victim was listed in serious condition at Mission Hospital.
Additional info is available in the Citizen-Times.
*From:* BillyG
*Sent:* Tuesday, August 01, 2006 1:43 PM
*To:* Dan Jones
*Subject:* Paramedic Shot-Serious Condition (The Secret list)
Hey…
In an incredible event, a 68-year-old man was arrested after shooting a Madison County paramedic (North Carolina) while she was helping him out of a car….after they (EMS and Fire) left the scene to help the wife get her drunk husband home.
Paramedic Tami Stephen was shot once in the chest with a .22-caliber pistol late Sunday night and is in serious condition as of this morning at Mission Hospitals in Asheville. Cops have arrested Joseph Boyer Candler Jr. on a charge of felony assault
with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury. Fire and EMS personnel responded to the call for a reported person losing consciousness at the Wolf Laurel Country Club. They determined the man, Candler, was intoxicated, said Chief Josh Jenkins of the Ebbs Chapel FD.
So…Candler’s wife asked the medics and firefighters to help her get Candler to their house, so they followed her as she drove him home….good customer service. But while helping Joseph Candler out of the vehicle, he pulled a pistol out of his pants pocket and fired one shot into Stephen’s chest!! Volunteer firefighter Darrell Ponder, who was standing behind Candler, grabbed the gun and restrained him before any more shots could be fired. Cops also found a Colt .380-caliber handgun and two clips in Candler’s vehicle. Detectives with the Madison County Sheriff’s Department said more charges could be filed against Candler.
Once again we are reminded how this could happen to any of us and how we must keep our eyes and ears open for the unexpected. We wish Paramedic Tami Stephen a quick and successful recovery.
Take Care-BE CAREFUL,
BillyG
The Secret List 8-1-06
_www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com_ (http://www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com)
_www.EMSCloseCalls.com_ (http://www.EMSCloseCalls.com)
To visit Firefighter Close Calls home page, click here: http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com
Tuesday, August 8, 2006 at 15:42
Tami Stephen was released from Mission Hospitals on Monday. She is “still in a lot of pain, and there will be a long-term rehabilitation effort,” Detective Scott Gaddy said.
More: http://citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060808/NEWS01/60807057