On a Friday evening in April 2016, 37-year-old John Ulmschneider, a dedicated firefighter and paramedic, responded to a welfare check call in Temple Hills, Maryland, a call that would tragically be his last. A concerned resident had contacted authorities, worried about a relative who might be suffering a medical emergency inside his home. When no one answered the door, Ulmschneider and his fellow firefighters made the decision to enter the house to provide aid.
As they attempted to make their way inside, the man inside the home, Darrell Lumpkin, fired several shots through the door. Ulmschneider was struck in the chest and rushed to a nearby hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries. Another firefighter, 19-year-old Kevin Swain, was also shot and critically wounded. The civilian who had initially called for help was also shot but sustained non-serious injuries.
Lumpkin surrendered to police at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
He claimed he believed his home was being broken into and fired in self-defense. A grand jury declined to indict Lumpkin for murder or manslaughter, but he was indicted on several weapons charges as he was legally prohibited from owning firearms due to a prior felony. Lumpkin pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and was sentenced to four years in prison. However, he passed away before serving his sentence.
John Ulmschneider, known to his colleagues as 'Skillet,' was a 13-year veteran of the Prince George's County Fire and EMS Department. He was remembered as a hardworking and caring man who had dreamed of being a firefighter since he was in high school. He left behind a wife and a young daughter. An investigation following the incident revealed that the 911 dispatchers had not relayed information to the responding firefighters that there was a possibility of guns in the home.
