Waco firefighter died from gunshot, not explosion

The man found dead in the charred remains of his house has officially been identified as 55-year-old Waco Firefighter Ramonell James and preliminary autopsy results indicate his death was homicide. According to the results, James was not killed when his home exploded Wednesday, he was killed by a gunshot to the head.

His bunker gear was still hanging in his locker at Station 11 as some of the firefighters who knew him best remembered him Friday.

“He was a great guy to work with,” said Lt. Jeff Pruitt, who worked with James for a year.

James was part of the “A shift” at the Waco Fire Department station on Imperial Drive and would have been working Friday.

“He put everyone’s needs ahead of his, other people before himself,” Pruitt added.

James’ fellow firefighters, the people who considered him a brother, also remembered him for his selfless public service.

“He loved what he did, if you ever needed shift coverage you called Ramonell, he’d be there, he really loved this job,” Pruitt said.

His son, Ramonell Stephens, is in Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas with burns covering 90 percent of his body. Troopers have him in custody in connection with the explosion; they say he allegedly admitted to shooting a man and blowing up the house during a traffic stop.

Waco Fire Chief John D. Johnston confirmed James’ identity Friday and said he “was a good employee and his presence will be missed.”

However, for the rest of the men of Station 11, who risked their lives alongside James, they just want to focus on work.

‘It is tough, but we still have a job to do, I know Ramonell would want us to come to work and do what we do best,” Pruitt said.

The McLennan County Sheriff’s Office would not comment Friday because this is an on going investigation. News Channel 25 learned Thursday that the body found in the rubble was suspected to be James’ but had not been officially identified.
By John Cuoco at KXXV News, Waco Temple Killeen