Man Who Fatally Shot MD Firefighter Dies after Stroke
Source Firehouse.com News
A man who shot and killed a Prince George's County firefighter during an April 2016 response call has died after having a stroke.
The Washington Post reports that Darrell Lumpkin, 63, had recently suffered a stroke and was hospitalized for several weeks before being released, according to his attorney. About a week after leaving the hospital, Lumpkin died from complications of a heart condition last week.
Lumpkin had been sentenced to four years in prison this past April on a weapons charge but had not yet reported to jail because a motion to modify his sentence was being considered.
Attorney Brian K. McDaniel told the Post that his client lived the final year of his life under extreme stress for the tragic incident in which he accidentally shot and killed firefighter John Ulmschneider and wounded firefighter Kevin Swain as they answered a medical response call at Lumpkin's home.
Ulmschneider, Swain and Lumpkin's brother forced entry into the Temple Hills residence believing Lumpkin was suffering a medical emergency. When the three men came through the door, Lumpkin, who was incoherent from a diabetic episode, fired at them because he believed intruders were entering, his attorney says.
A grand jury did not charge him with murder or manslaughter, but he pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a weapon. Lumpkin at first obtained his firearms legally, but a 2012 change to Maryland law made it illegal for him to possess a gun because of a 1985 assault conviction. Lumpkin's sister says he did not know the laws had changed.
"This is an unfortunate end to an overall tragic incident," said Mark Brady, a spokesman for the Prince George's County Fire Department.
