By LEAH THORSEN
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS - An off-duty St. Louis firefighter who was shot Wednesday when he interrupted a burglary at his home was in critical condition after a two-hour surgery to save his life, authorities said.

Ernest Strong had gone to lunch with his wife and returned to his home in the 900 block of Beach Avenue when he surprised the burglars just before 2 p.m., said Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson.

Police said Strong was shot four times in the chest and abdomen during an "altercation" with the burglars outside his house and that witnesses gave descriptions of three burglars. Police said two people matching the descriptions had been taken into custody and were being questioned, and they were searching for the third. Police dogs helped find evidence at the scene.

On Wednesday afternoon, detectives examined the white, two-story house on Beach Avenue, a short, dead-end street, as concerned firefighters looked on. The home is in a neighborhood with a mix of boarded-up buildings and both older and brand-new homes, just north of Delmar.

Strong's adult daughter was home at the time, Jenkerson said, and she was struck a few times by the intruders.

Strong, 53, is a 10-year department veteran and has been stationed at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport for the past two years, Jenkerson said.

"He's a strong member of the St. Louis Fire Department," he said.

Strong was still in critical condition late Wednesday and had lost a lot of blood, Jenkerson said.

Jenkerson said about 45 firefighters came to Barnes-Jewish Hospital, where Strong underwent surgery, to show their support.

It was the second time in a little more than three months that city firefighters have rushed to a hospital to be near a colleague who had been shot.

Firefighter Leonard Riggins was fatally wounded Nov. 5 when he stopped at the scene of a car wreck and was shot by the carjacker who had just stolen and crashed the vehicle.

"We don't want to lose any more," Jenkerson said. "We're still on edge."

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