PULASKI COUNTY, Ark. — The fiancee of a fallen firefighter who was shot and killed while responding to a patient with a seizure spoke out for the first time since the incident.
Arkansas Matters reported that Lt. Jason Adams, with the Sherwood Fire Department and East Pulaski Volunteer Fire Department, met Jeannie De Meyere through the fire service. De Meyere was a firefighter at both departments like Lt. Adams.
“Folding his clothes and putting them away but they’ll never come back out. It’s been pretty hard,” she said. “I miss my friend, my best friend. I mean we told each other everything pretty much. He was my confidante.”
De Meyere said she hopes to raise awareness for the struggles volunteer fire departments face through a memorial fund in honor of Adams.
“What we want to do is use the fund to fund training or [purchase] safety equipment for volunteer departments because volunteer departments are underfunded,” she said.
De Meyere will return to work at the Sherwood Fire Department Tuesday. She said it will be a difficult day, but she has a duty to her community.
The homeowner accused of shooting Lt. Adams, Mark Pruitt, has been charged with manslaughter.