John Ulmschneider, a veteran of 13 year of the Prince George’s County Fire Department, died Friday, after was shot after entering the home in Temple Hills, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C.
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The firefighters were responding to a call from a “concerned citizen” about the occupant in the home, said county Police Chief Henry P. Stawinski.
The man who allegedly shot two Prince George’s County firefighters has been released from police custody, police said.
Department officials said in a statement that volunteer firefighter Kevin Swain also was shot, and was in serious condition.
One firefighter was killed and the other was hit four times, but survived. “A tough firefighter that always wanted to get the job done and always cared about other people”, said Andrew Pantelis, the president of the Prince George’s County Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics Association.
“He is so lucky, unbelievably lucky”, said Bill Rehkopf, spokesman for Sykesville Freedom District Fire Dept.
In a phone recording for media, Brady said: “one, perhaps two or more firefighters have been injured by way of gun shot wounds”. He leaves behind a wife and a child, according to Deputy Fire Chief Benjamin Barksdale.
The county’s state’s attorney, Angela Alsobrooks, was at a news conference at which the death was announced.
But as the firefighters began knocking down the door, the diabetic brother, whose name has not been released, was unaware of what was transpiring and believed he was the victim of a home invasion.
When knocks on the door went unanswered and there was no response as rescuers announced that they were outside, the emergency workers made a decision to break through the door, officials said. The civilian was not seriously injured, and the person inside the home was taken into custody, police said.
After the shooting, Brady said, the man inside the home quickly surrendered to police. According to Brady, the department never had a firefighter shot while on duty until now.
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The governor ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in Ulmschneider’s memory.
