A Missouri firefighter paramedic was killed on duty Sunday when he was allegedly stabbed in the back of an ambulance while transporting the patient to the hospital.
Kansas City Fire Department firefighter Graham Hoffman, 29, died Sunday hours after a patient was stabbed in the chest by a patient taken to the hospital after a routine medical call from police, the city of Kansas City said in a news release.
Hoffman’s partner “started a crew emergency,” the city said after stabbing wounds and additional fires and police forces responded to the scene.
He was taken to North Kansas City Hospital, where he died in intensive care units, even though he was taken to the emergency room, emergency room and surgical staff despite “heroic efforts” by KCFD paramedics.
“His KCFD ambulance was an essential lifesaving tool,” the Missouri Fire Safety Department posted on Facebook. “But early this morning, Hoffman’s ambulance became a crime scene and Hoffman became an immeasurable victim of a crime.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said Hoffman showed the city’s “highest quality” through “selfless service for others.”
“It makes this loss even more painful that he was taken away from us while he was working to save his life,” Lucas said in part. “This meaningless act reminds us of the dangers our first responders face every day. The suspect is in custody as he is being held to file charges with Clay County Prosecutors. We require that accountability be applied not only to the suspects but every step of the system.”
Lucas said the city lamented with Hoffman’s family, friends and the fire department, and that Kansas’ Citian had asked him to protect the “brave first responders” of the Hoffman family and the city in prayer.
Interim City Manager Kimiko Gilmore has also issued a statement sharing his significance of sadness for “unusual losses.”
“Today, we lament the loss of firefighter paramedic Graham Hoffman. Graham Hoffman is a brave civil servant who has dedicated his life to helping others. His courage, compassion and commitment to our community will never be forgotten,” she said.
Hoffman, who joined KCFD in 2022, was described by his department as “compassionate, caring, loving and a leader in his work,” and described as “a dedicated expert who loves to serve his city.”
The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office announced charges against 38-year-old Chanetta Bossal in Hoffman’s death on Sunday.
Prison records show that Bossell faces three felony charges. Resist/interfer with first-degree murder, felony arrest and third-degree attacks. She is being charged in an armed criminal case, with her bond set at $1 million.
Bossell was arrested on April 23 on suspicion of biting a Platte City police officer, in which case he was charged with assault and resisting arrest, local outlet KCTV 5 reported.
According to KCTV, Judge Louis Angles reviewed the case and set Bossell’s bond at $10,000.
The Missouri Fire Safety Department said: “We have a heavy heart because we struggle to understand what our minds don’t understand.”
“Hoffman devoted his life to answering alarm bells regardless of circumstances or emergency,” the organization writes. “He was a lifesaver.”
