Kansas City police are investigating a fatal shooting, possibly self-inflicted, of a Kansas City firefighter at 34th and the Paseo, near a fire station.
A resident of the area heard a gunshot, looked outside and saw the body between Kansas City Fire Station 17 and a residence to the south, police said.
The incident was reported about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday. By 10 a.m., Mayor Sly James and many Fire Department officials and off-duty firefighters were at the scene.
In a joint statement, Fire Chief Paul Berardi, Mayor Sly James and City Manager Troy Schulte acknowledged the firefighter’s death but did not release the firefighter’s name or how long he had worked for the department.
“Our hearts are heavy today…,” the statement said. “This tragedy is difficult to understand. While we cannot know exactly what happened, this may be a reminder of the intense stress that our trained team of professionals endure as part of working in public safety.”
Grief counselors were being made available to city workers, according to the statement.