By Tanya Eiserer
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS — A retired Dallas Fire-Rescue firefighter was fatally shot early Wednesday during an apparent robbery in east Oak Cliff, authorities said.
Joseph Nelson, 56, a Lancaster resident, was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
“We don’t really know what he was doing,” said Sgt. Bruce McDonald, a homicide unit supervisor.
“It wasn’t a carjacking. His car was left there, and it was running. We don’t know why he stopped, but it doesn’t appear that he was run off the road.”
The fatal shooting happened about 1:30 a.m. in the 3300 block of Springview Avenue, just south of Illinois Avenue near Interstate 45. Nelson was found lying in the roadway next to his silver Isuzu Rodeo.
He had been shot several times and died a short time later.
Neighbors heard the gunfire and a man was seen rifling through Nelson’s billfold, which was empty when authorities found it.
The unidentified gunman was seen fleeing in a white Crown Victoria-type vehicle. Michelle Cole, who is married to Nelson’s nephew, said the family was too distraught to talk. She said Nelson had one son and retired last November from the fire department after a long career.
“He was very outgoing and in good spirits,” she said.
“It’s a real big shock.”
Copyright 2010 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS