The Los Angeles County Fire Department identified Saturday Arnie Sandoval, 54, as the captain wounded during the Station 81 shooting Tuesday.
David Guymon, a 20-year co-worker and friend, set up a GoFundMe fundraiser Friday at the request of Sandoval’s family. The fundraiser brought in more than $28,000 in its first 24 hours.
“He’s just a good, salt-of-the-earth kind of guy,” Guymon, an engineer with the L.A. County Fire Department, said of Sandoval. “Genuine. He’s nice to work around (and) he’d do anything for you.”
Guymon, who lives in southern Utah and is stationed in the Antelope Valley, described Sandoval as an outdoorsman, something the two firefighters share in common.
“We’re both into outdoors type of stuff, hunting, fishing, all that kind of stuff,” he said. “He’s been able to do some pretty amazing hunts.”
“It’s very tragic,” Guymon said of the shooting. “It’s just hard to even wrap your head around how somebody gets to that point. It’s just really hard to comprehend.”
Guymon said he’s heard from a member of Sandoval’s family that Sandoval was talking Saturday morning.
“I just feel like it’d be important for him to just have a little bit of money to be able to help him in his recovery,” he said. “I just don’t want him to have to worry about (unforeseen expenses) and, especially, if he ends up retiring early. It’s not going to be very much money, but every little bit helps.”
Sandoval’s condition was listed as critical yet stable as of Friday, according to officials. Sandoval is receiving care at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.
Guymon also knew Tory Carlon, 44, who was fatally shot at Fire Station 81 on Tuesday. The two shared the same title and worked together in the Antelope Valley before Carlon was stationed in Agua Dulce.
“I’ve known him for a long time, too,” he said. “We’re both engineers so (we’ve) traded shifts. I’ve been camping with him and his family. I mean the Fire Department is like a big family.”
