'Our dear brother:' City officials on death of Jackson fireman killed in domestic dispute

Veteran firefighter Gerald Bates, 49, was shot and killed Sunday following a domestic dispute inside a South Jackson home in the 200 block of Ferguson Drive, officials said.

Bates served at the Jackson Fire Department and the Byram Fire Department.

“On behalf of Fire Chief Willie Owens and the entire Jackson Fire Department family, our most sincerest condolences and prayers are extended to the family of our dear brother, Gerald Bates,” Jackson Fire Department officials said in a Monday social media post. “Please keep his family and the Jackson & Byram Fire Departments in your thoughts and prayers.”

Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said at the time of the incident, firefighters went to conduct a wellness check on Bates at the Ferguson residence. That is when authorities found Bates dead.

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Police reported Bates succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds.

Wade said authorities also found Tammie Williams, 41, who was armed and had barricaded herself inside the home after shooting Bates.

For more than an hour, officers attempted to negotiate with Williams who was carrying a gun throughout the house, but Williams remained noncompliant.

Wade said a SWAT unit was called to the scene and deployed tear gas before forcing entry into the house and taking Williams into custody.

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Jackson police issued a Monday press release stating Williams appeared in court Monday morning and received no bond. Officials also stated Bates and Williams lived together.

“Please keep the entire Jackson Fire Department and the Bates Family and your thoughts and prayers for the loss of one of their own. RIH (Rest in Heaven), our dear brother,” read a post on a social media page dedicated to fallen Jackson firefighters.

During his Monday press conference, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba asked for a moment of silence in honor of Bates.

"We will continue to honor the memory of firefighter Bates, as well as keep his family lifted up in prayer," Lumumba said, adding the city will provide supportive services for firefighters and other city employees.

Lumumba also offered a few details on Bates background:

Bates was a veteran of the Jackson Fire Department for nearly 10 years, stationed at JFD's station 5. He was also a graduate of Forest Hill High School in 1994.

"He was a Jacksonian through and through," Lumumba said. "He was interconnected with our community, part of our family, so this is a shared loss and I know that a number will be grieving at the hands of his loss."

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Gerald Bates firefighter shot dead in Jackson