Daniel J. Smith, a 31-year-old White/Caucasian male from Trumbauersville Borough, Pennsylvania, died on March 31, 2018, after what authorities described as an accidental shooting in Muhlenberg Township, Berks County. Online reports identify him as a full-time paramedic with Plymouth Community Ambulance Association, where he had worked since 2016, and as a Bucks County constable. Early reporting from Plymouth Ambulance said the circumstances of his death were not yet fully known and that police were investigating.
Smith had gone to Muhlenberg Township with his friend Daniel Ryan Brymer, of Newtown, to help another friend move out of an apartment. During the move, the men reportedly began fooling around with an airsoft gun. Court-document-based reporting said Smith shot Brymer twice with the airsoft gun, then handed it to him. Brymer placed the airsoft gun in a front pocket near a real 9 mm handgun that Smith had previously given him to hold for safekeeping.
The moment that turned fatal came outside on the lawn. Authorities said Brymer reached for what he believed was the airsoft gun, but instead pulled the real handgun and fired at Smith, striking him in the back. Smith was rushed to Reading Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Witness and police accounts described Brymer as distraught after the shooting; one account said he was covered in blood and repeatedly said he had shot his friend.
Brymer was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault. He was arraigned early the next morning before a Berks County district judge and released on $100,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for April 23, 2018, and later reporting said he appeared in Berks County court, where the case continued with additional hearings expected. Available online reporting I found did not provide a verified final trial outcome or conviction details from non-excluded sources.
Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams characterized the shooting as a tragic accident, but also as a senseless and reckless use of a firearm. Smith’s death left both his emergency-services community and constable colleagues grieving a man described by Plymouth Ambulance leadership as an outstanding paramedic who was dedicated, helpful, and known for making people laugh.
