April 20–A Hugo, Oklahoma firefighter, who led law enforcement on a chase that ended in a standoff and who took his own life in Savoy Monday afternoon, was said to have lived a life opposite of his final actions.

“It’s not anything you expect at all with a guy of his capabilities,” Hugo Fire Chief Ron Cloud said. “It was just a complete surprise, a shock really.”

Josue Adrianzen, 27, of Hugo, was a firefighter and a father of three young boys. Cloud said Mr. Adrianzen was just getting his career started and he loved the fire department. Mr. Adrianzen worked with the Hugo Fire Department for five years, working the first year as a volunteer firefighter.

“He did everything right; he came to work with a smile on his face,” Cloud said. “He did the training and the extra training. … He was one of our best guys.”

Choctaw County Sheriff Terry Park said the events started on Monday after a call for a welfare check. Sometime after 10 a.m., a sheriff’s deputy and a family member went to Mr. Adrianzen’s residence in Hugo to check on him. Park said Mr. Adrianzen was upset about a problem within his family.

When the deputy and the family member arrived at the residence, Mr. Adrianzen took off with a firearm in hand, Park said. He got into his Dodge Dart and police followed. The Choctaw County Sheriff’s Office, Hugo Police Department and Choctaw Nation Tribal Police pursued Mr. Adrianzen through Hugo and Soper. At some point between Soper and Boswell, a Boswell Police vehicle and a Hugo Police vehicle crashed into each other.

“The person fled on and they chased him there in Boswell and they lost him north of Boswell,” Park said. “The next thing we know is that he is taking a man’s truck at gunpoint over south of Bennington.”

Law enforcement lost Mr. Adrianzen at about 11:30 a.m. Between then and noon, Mr. Adrianzen stole a green, Chevrolet SUV at gunpoint and fled south into Texas. A Fannin County Sheriff’s deputy spotted Mr. Adrianzen driving southbound on State Highway 78, north of Bonham. Texas law enforcement gave chase, and Mr. Adrianzen’ vehicle came to stop on SH 56 on the east side of Savoy near the high school.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers closed both sides of the highway at about 1:30 p.m. Mr. Adrianzen stayed near his vehicle with a weapon pointed on himself. Texas Rangers arrived on scene and attempted to negotiate with Mr. Adrianzen. Savoy schools were put on lock down. At a little before 4 p.m., Adrianzen shot himself; he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Texas Rangers investigated the scene.

“He was well-liked, polite, dedicated, a hard-working fireman,” Park said. “And something just snapped inside of him.”

Cloud said Mr. Adrianzen was a good fireman and never shirked his responsibilities. He said what Mr. Adrianzen did on Monday wasn’t the guy he knew.

“Whatever happened yesterday was something completely opposite of the way he normally went about things,” Cloud said on Tuesday. “I don’t know what reason that was.”

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