By FireRescue1 Staff
SAN ANTONIO — Police arrested a man on arson and murder charges after a shopping complex caught fire, killing a firefighter.
Investigators told KSAT that the Ingram Square Shopping Complex was started in Emond Javor Johnson’s gym, leading to the death of firefighter Scott Deem.
“I talked to Scott Deem’s captain and he cried. I was in my boss’s office and I broke down, so there is not a member of this organization that has not shed a tear because of the culmination of this,” Fire Chief Charles Hood said. “But with those tears comes some anger because this was human caused, it makes it a lot different for us.”
Johnson told investigators he locked the gym from the front door minutes before the fire began, but footage shows someone matching his build leaving from the rear. Investigators said a bright flash can also be seen on the footage.
Johnson was $6,800 behind on rent, according to officials. He admitted in his final interview that he used a lighter to start the fire after someone spilled oil and gas near the rear of the gym. He told investigators he had been receiving eviction notices and wanted a way out of his lease.
“The first thing I take away is that I’ve got some badass firefighters that risk everything to save their loved ones,” Chief Hood said. “As I mentioned before they continued to pour into that building to save one of their own. There is no doubt about the courage and physical abilities, the strength, the resiliency of this organization.”
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