News

Actions

1 firefighter dead, 1 injured in Prince George’s County Maryland shooting

Posted at 11:51 PM, Apr 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-16 17:41:35-04

TEMPLE HILLS, Md. – A gunman shot two firefighters — killing one — and one of his relatives on Friday evening after the firefighters were asked to check on him at his Maryland home, authorities said.

Firefighter John Ulmschneider, 39, died after the shooting in Prince George’s County, fire officials said.

The firefighters were responding to a relative’s call “expressing concern” about the home’s resident, the county police department said in a statement.

As the firefighters tried to enter the Temple Hills home, the occupant shot them, police said. Specifics on the call were unclear, but authorities said it was medical-related.

The family member who called 911 also was shot, but the injuries are not life-threatening, authorities said.

Prince George’s County police officers rushed to the scene and arrested the suspect.

Kevin Swain, a 19-year-old volunteer firefighter, was shot four times and was in serious condition, police said in a statement. He is expected to survive.

Ulmschneider was a paramedic and a 13-year veteran of the county’s emergency medical services.

Colleagues mourned Ulmschneider, described as a father and a husband.

“We are beginning to prepare to send our brother home,” said Benjamin Barksdale, the deputy chief of the county fire and EMS department.